Hmmm there are a couple "friendly for all" tracks, but woah, several... over the top ones.  Heh. 

Ok now for some late nite vid goodness.  Lately I've been torrenting different anime and live action vids.  On the animation side of things I'm always amazed at the quality of work coming out of a studio in japan called Gonzo.  They merge alot of 3D style animation into 2D cel looking anime.  Now its all done on pcs these days.  Alot of photoshop, avid, after effects you name it, its all in there.  But the formula they've arrived at, the final blend of it, works damn good.  Even when some aspects scream 3d, they still have beautiful blending of 2d.  Check out this ( all japanese sorry ) Special Program clip on Samurai 7.  Gonzo's new look, an even more refined version of what they've been crankin out lately can be seen in this new series coming out that looks like a futuristic yet classical version of the Count of Monte Cristo tale.  Its very blended, I think theres a ton of effects happening here, yet it retains the overall kick ass Gonzo label look.

Gonzo is also the studio behind Yukikaze which is without a doubt one THE best looking aerospace genre looking animes on the planet.  If you liked anything Macross style or just like planes and jets etc, this anime is incredible to watch. 

 Here's a cool site that I wish I knew how to code/create.. maybe I should sick George on it.  This would be nice on fashionpixel.

LOL could spoken spam be the new hit? Do any of you get that hilarious 23 million dollar spam message?  Odds are you've gotten before, now check this out. 

Posted by dan at 02:47 AM | Permalink

Well just when I get into the groove of the Dungeon Masters guide.. look what shows up! 

Hahahah.. I couldn't resist.  I mean I have everything else in the collection, jazz, funk, acid jazz, world beat, big band, techno, dance, jungle, nuskool, rave, trace, house.. i mean mondo porno, thats like a sound all on its own.  So fars its ultra funky!  I love it.  Cheesy vocal whispers and more.  Too funny.  This is the kinda soundtrack I'd love to play at a starbucks sometime, see all those people getting coffee starting at each other thinking "did they just groan?... " 

Granted getting cds like this at work makes everyone look at me and go... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm k!

Posted by dan at 01:43 PM | Permalink

This morning I drove to work topless.. yep shirtless.  Nude from the waist up I say.  Why?  I woke up hot.. really hot.  I dunno what it is, the weather, the temps, my workouts lately, the massage i just had the night before, but I was hot.. hot hot hot!  Too hot.  I'm beginning to dislike all my clothes, everything feels too hot.. too heavy, so screw it I thought to myself.  I'll cool off on the way to work.  That worked out nicely. 

Yesterday I had my 90 day review at McConnell.  I met with my nutritionist Cheryll and got a bit of progress check.  And the result?  I've lost 8% of my body weight/fat? i forget.. so far.  Basically I've lost alot of weight so far and I'm on track for goodness.  I was told an 8-10% loss over six months is good, in 90 days i'm waaaaaaaaaay ahead, really good checkup.  The way I eat is in place, the just eat right feel right is working great.  No real hurddles in sight, just keep it up and more cardio.  As a vivid example of what i've lost so far Cheryll pulled out what looked like a firelog or block of wood, instead it was yellow and rubbery flabby.. she said "this is 4 pounds of body fat..." I was like ewwwwwwww put that away!  And then she said "you've lost 4 of these so far...", scary.. but thats awesome!  If all goes well I stand to lose another 20-15 pounds by xmas.  There's a chance my body will plateau at certain point where for 2-3 months you lose nothing and yer body re-adjusts and then continues to go down more but she feels thats not happening yet, I'm still losing weight at a good pace. 

Look back on all this like its another addiction of mine.  I seem to pick up concepts and ideas and either love them or leave them.  I definately love this one though.  The gym is great, getting everything i need out of it is really nice, workout, shower, massage, pool etc.. its just all there, advisors etc.  I'm not on a cheap program by any means but I feel like so far, its really been worth it.  I feel better than ever. 

I caught an episode of CSI the other day where the bad guy killed gals at the gym cause they teased him at the gym.. and started to hear this ramble of this bad guy and his justification of madness in my head.. they tease me!!  And at my gym.. they are all senior citizens that kick my ass typically.. lol.  When I went in for the checkup yesterday at 11am, a time i rarely go into the gym, it was packed, full of senior citizens, i mean dozens of them, hundreds.  It gets ya thinking, our elderly generation is living longer, getting better and lasting.. much more than we realize.  I see all these people of age and I see stories, i see dozens of stories to tell, lives lived and memories carved in, these are folks with some real character.  Sure in the gym, perhaps I do lack the younger generation macho men throwin barbells around and the hot gals tempting me.. but ya know.. I think I like my old crew better.    I suppose in six months i could do california fitness center or something, save alot of money but it'd be a robo fest.  Look at my biceps!  Or check out that ass!  I dunno, I like my team of docs and trainers running around me at McConnell. 

Posted by dan at 11:49 AM | Permalink

So I picked up a dieselboy cd this past weekend.  I'm not a huge fan of his work usually.  I dunno.  I'm more of a dark step, future step, atmospheric, jump up kinda drum and bass guy.  I really really need the deep goove.  But this cd peaked my interest in just a few seconds of samplin.  I especially like the reading sample from the dungeon masters guide in here.  I thought of nik right away, but I doubt nik gets into this music but the hearding the classic dungeon master text spoken aloud in this cd really gives this cd some character.  This kinda drum and bass needs to be driven to.  You gotta be cranking on something to really get anything out of it, cause its not slowin down any time soon.  Tracks I dig: Prologue, Infection, Break, Immortal.

Catch some vids: xxxxxxxx . watermelon love . mojo in the motion . gta gang magic

And one kick ass motion reel, taste it: stardust

On nation under design.

A wee bit japanese, good ps2 footage. 

Stencil me bruce.  Celebrate Goodness 

A few good scans

Posted by dan at 11:14 PM | Permalink

Now playing: - beatshake1 7.mp3

I think my rooom is a weeee bit tooo hot, can't sleep to well in this.  Should turn on the AC maybe but morning will be here before ya know it.  So I hit newstoday and discover a little goodness.  Retro Erotic & Porno Soundtracks, which is really a damn spiffy site for loungey bit of oddness. 

Now playing: cinecitta3 - 3.mp3  

Now playing: cinecitta3 - 13.mp3

Now playing: - dangergirl 2.mp3

LOL now theres a cd cover

Now playing: - morrremix2 3.mp3

Now playing: - morrremix2 4.mp3

Now playing: - mm11 3.mp3

 I'm seriously digging this cd.  FeelinFunky indeed!  Ummm ya dan.. get back here tomorrow and pick up this cd.  Heck i'm gonna have to get half of this whole series i think...

Heck I love all these funkadelic cd covers.. LOL.  Some great tunes on this site.  I'm gonna have to spend some more time on here and fine tune my selection.  I'm curious if these audio links come thru or not.

Now playing: - mm11 5.mp3

Now playing: - mm11 4.mp3

Now playing: - mm3 4.mp3

Now playing: - mm8 2.mp3

Now playing: - mm8 5.mp3

Now playing: - mm7 3.mp3

Now playing: - swinging60s 2.mp3

Now playing: - swinging60s 4.mp3

Now playing: - syddaleretro 2.mp3

Ok so on to other ramblings.  Well... hmmm.... Pong anyone?  Woah freaky animal videos... whats the goal here? 

Nice flash site.

Now here is an excellent photography site, thats some kick ass smart use of flash.. very easy to nav.

Project Hello.  Look at that handwriting. 

Posted by dan at 03:56 AM | Permalink

Wait a sec, what am I thinking.. theres no way I can pull just five from back then or right now.. screw that.  Lately i've been diving into tunes of old.. pulling out some raging classics.. least in my mind.  Here's a sample.

ok I stole this gal from AnimeREactor

"Back Then" ( when I was 25 to 29 ) the early years:

Castle Trancelott / Indoctrinate - This track rocked my world!  I loved it back then as I do right now.  I picked up every compilation I found it on.  This was one of those tracks that set the bar for everything else.  In some ways much of the music and trends I explored thereafter.. rarely matched up to this.  It was a beastie and a track from the early Rennaissance CD's, see below. 

Fluke / Atom Bomb - I think Fluke has more music in trailers than in actual releases.  Atom Bomb is in everything, the basic riff is in about 12 different trailers out there and it never gets old.  From bad asses to bad guys doin bad things to xmen to matrix kiddies gone wild, the Atom Bomb is there.  I was crankin to this track just a few days ago, it never gets old.  Its edgy and alive and expansive and boomin.  Another classic track that never gets old.  Never.

Flppy Sounds / UltraSong (Studio A Mix) - Heres an old one from a Rennaissance CD comps.  Back in 1995 John Digweed and the gang were crankin out these super cd sets of 2-3 discs.  The Rennaissance series was usually pretty good.  Flippy here is an old flavor for the dancefloor.  I immediately liked the vocal and the quirky acid 303 bassy beat.  I never saw this track anywhere else, no other cd I ever came across and i have some 300-400 cds of this crap heh..

Moby / Into The Blue (Buzz Boys Main room Mayhem Mix) - Yet another track from the Rennaissance gang.  Next to Body Rock and Go Rainforest Mix, this is probably one of the best Moby tracks my ears have ever laid.. earflesh on.  Its a track that gives those early years color, essence, definition, presence, substance, etc.. yadda.  It just spells it out on the pavement, here's what the sound was like, the people danced this way, the vibe was this.. its a great memory tune.  Takes me back to SPY in Houston, Texas.  Hmmm.. i see SPY is no more these days. 

Moby / Hymn - Menacing Mix vs Orgasmo Mix - Since we're on the topic of Moby, here's two more tracks that fall under the scope of back then not now.  I like the Orgasmo mix butter, a harder edge to it.   

Eon / Fear - Fear is a classic.  Straight out of mid/early/not really sure time of serious rave'dom.  Fear tore up the dance floor.  It was a track that sent waves of people to the center of the dance floor to boogie their brains out to FEAR.  And ya gotta love those dune samples.  I think people actually went back and watched dune just to get some context to what the song was talkin about.  Fear and of course the other classic from Eon, the Spice Must Flow are two must haves on the best dan tunes of all time. 

Grooveyard / Watch Me Now - Here's a track I heard once on a mix tape and then never found it again until about a year later.  Thats the problem with mix tapes from raves and club parties.. they typically have no info.  So yer left there going.. damn.. nice track.. where the hell can I find it.  This track makes me think of burning man, though i've never been to burning man, I think the tape I picked up was from burning man and that was my first exposure to this track.  FEELS GOOD!

Prodigy / Narayan - Prodigy is back on the scene with a brand new album thats mostly angry in yer face sounding tracks aside from Girls, which I like, though its just a loop, but isnt everything?  Narayan was a sleeper track to me at first, I passed it by and then came back to it later.  I used to do that alot, pick up 10 cds at the record store, obsses over one or two and then in a few months time actually HEAR the rest of them.  But this kinda music doesnt age really.  Narayan brings back memories of Hooters in Dallas, old Quake era activities, meeting the people at Ritual, working on the prelim work for Sin the anime. 

Posted by dan at 01:06 AM | Permalink

HELP!  I'm trapped at work.  Its 10:36pm and.. i'm here.. in a dark little office, staring at a screen, listening to people talk about banking. Yes this is my life people, this is the essence of what my life is all about, right here, right now.. this edit.. its me.  Why? Cause, gotta, gotta take 19hrs of good vibe feedback and condense it down to 20mins.  Yes!  This is the part I love.  Actually I'm learning to loath it.. but, its my roots ya know.  Ahhh well. 

This is the first reel i'm putting together using techsmith's Morae and while I love it as a field capture tool, its editng manager... well, its no Avid people.  Wait a sec.. i think i'm almost free....

Someday I'll post on here my wild whacky adventures in dating.  I have to say lately, its been.. very interesting. 

Posted by dan at 10:45 PM | Permalink

Sometimes ya meet people and then ya lose track of them.  I met Jessica back in the days of ADV, she was the star voice actress of the famed studio of yadda yaddda yaddda.. ok we all know that story.  Young gal full of zest go crazy behind studio doors.  Well its true.  She was a hoot!  Still is and makin her way on the big stage in New York City!  Wow, thats awesome.  Mike go see one of her plays will ya!  Anyways Jessica and I always had strange yet almost perfect comedic timing.. at times.. heh.  We loved making a scene where-ever, when-ever possible.  She's seriously talented and like bonkers to boot.  Now she's acting, living her dream and pushin pocky!  That rocks! - I think thats her best pose.. hahah...  i mean she looks good against white. 

Posted by dan at 08:59 PM | Permalink

The San Jose Biz Journal says...

"As anyone who has ever been in a Starbucks knows, customers aren't really buying a cup of Joe, they're buying an experience and in some case even part of their personal identity, which comes with coffee on the side.  That degree of corporate integration into the lives and culture of the U.S. public will only accelerate, predicts Andrew Zolli, a Brooklyn-based futurist who spoke Monday at the San Jose Fairmont. It's beyond consumerism. Corporations have become central memory-making institutions in many people's lives," he said, citing the example of a man who chose to be buried in a Harley-Davidson Motor Co. casket."

How many of you think this is 2 parts crap 1 part possible truth?  I mean the marketing of Starbucks would like to think that you came in for an experience, the biz merchandising department wants you to have the experience, the folks who made the interior so spiffy want you to have the experience but did you really come in for the experience?  I think while the experience is no doubt part of the package, its not the majority piece.  I want a cup of coffee.. better yet I want my double white mocha.. and oh ya I'm at a starbucks.  I stand in line, I order, I wait, I get my drink.. if I stay my experience goes up, if I bolt, did I still get the majority portion of the "experience"?  I think not.  I think its laughable to assume yer customers are coming to you for an experience.  People want, need, demand stuff.  As the 5000th starbucks arrives on the planet do they think their unique experience is still resonating or just nuff said? 

As an experience researcher.. hell markerter..  sure I like the experience, I want to have an experience but the experience isnt the substance of what I got.  I got coffee, I paid $7 bucks for coffee.... or was it $4 bucks and $3 bucks when to ambient lighting and soooth music? 

More on this later.  But I think the notion that this is a trend, and that its really hitting the mark on consumers I think is misguided.  Its something that corporations want to hear, but I doubt seriously that its the reality. 

Posted by dan at 03:46 PM | Permalink

I love pinups.  Why do I love 40's, 50's, 60's pinups.. I can't say.  I think its cause they tease in a traditional way or something.  Granted this is a modern day artists view of a pinup but the effect is the same i think.  I just love the campy aspect of it or something.  I mean I dont want a centerfold, I dont want a nude, i dont want too much.. the eye wants the composition.  Here I have a cool funky car, a cross, roses, a gal and the brillant light of.. something.   Greg Hilderbrandt, Art Frahm, and Gil Elvgren are my favorite artists.  Art has a bunch of odd concepts... they dont follow the traditional lines of gal poses, neat shot etc.  The bowling pinup is a classic example of the campy flavor of the pinup.  Or the parking meter.  Folks see his style as more glamour zany campness. 

I'm on the hunt. For alot of things lately. 

New art especially.  I need new art.  I was thinking of ordering a dozen or so odds and ends posters and just covering my entire garage with them.  Why not.  This artist has some nice work.  Reminds me alot of Shag.  I can't resist Shag any more.  I see any of his work merchandised in any way and I immediately buy it.  I'm still waiting for Bed Bath and Beyond to get some of their Shag beach towels back in.  Hey they got Chimps on there!  Check that out Freaky Jimmy! 

Here we go.. this is what I want on the door of my mini. 

Now the stripes arent correct so dont look at them.. Look at that door.  Wouldnt that rock?  Ahhh well, sure it says "KEY ME" but still.. i think some kind of obey gaint design on the mini would be fun to have.  Some vynil sticker that I can put on and take off later etc.  Troy and I were talkin about this the other day. 

Look what I found!  Super.avi (thats a seriously old one there), SinThe Movie (gotta be proud of this one, mainly cause the idea was mine from the beginning, ahh well), and a rare Do It Now!  I made a dozen of these for ADV back in the day. 

I'm digging thru my image archives tonight for work "homework".  Must find images of me past-present.  Here's one.. a classic.  Garartik's Last Stand!  HA!

Posted by dan at 10:53 PM | Permalink

Everyday I kick myself for not realizing this earlier... body is a good thing.  Yesterday I did my workout.  Currently its: 6 cybex machines (upper and lower body) + 5 free weights exercise + 15mins treadmill + 15mins bike + 5mins rower + 5mins walkin around the track.  That takes about 60-90mins todo.  Add 10mins in the sauna, shave shower and clean and presto new dan.  Roughly 2hrs if I take my time.  I'm curious what my workout will be in six months.  Yesterday I weighed myself to a pleasant surprise.  I've lost 20 pounds so far.  Wow.  I had a go buy some new clothes.  Expensive but wow, that's great!  Feel great, so its all good.  Mentally I'm hungry to learn more, do more, work these muscles, then these over here, and those.  Cardio is still a big challenge, its alot of work and its mind numbing no matter how ya slice it.  TV sometimes helps, the occasional book, i suppose.  Typically I will my way thru it.  The rower is hard, and it does hurt my back a bit.  The bike and treadmill wreak havoc on my weak knee but i stretch and massage it a bit and it seems ok.  This week I'm gonna try the therapy pools and do some swimming. 

But exercise alone isn't responsible for this pleasant result.  Food.  I've made a big change in my diet.  Actually not as drastic as I thought I'd have to do.  I love and crave soy milk, never thought that would happen.  I go for protein as much as possible and drink a lot of water.  I have to remember to drink water when I'm not thirsty.  That takes a bit of time to master.  I'm also off coffee yet still drink teas from time to time and the occasional red bull I love... but my caffeine levels are way down.  The food routine is in.  I don't feel the need to log what I think is already a nuff said.  But I still do for docs.  Smoothies are great, love those, need to cut back on the gallon smoothie in the morning thing heh.  I need to split it up.  Gensoy Bars and other power bars are nice when I miss a meal now and then.  Taking the time out for lunch is good, I typically missed that.  Eating veggies thru the day as snacks as been a BIG help.  The thing that surprises me the most is that eating right and healthy is also very good eating.  There hasn't been any of this "gah thats horrible tasting", even when my father persists on lavishly drowning asparagus spears with butter buds.. I'd like "ya know.. a little pepper and its all good pop..."  i cant remember the last time I had butter or any sort. 

I still cheat now and then.  Not cheat but award.  I cant escape my need for heathcrunch bars and bites.  I love heathcrunch.  A taste my mother passed to me I'm sure.  That and the occasional bit of icecream.  Luckily I've experimented with some soy alternates to traditional icecream.. they aren't bad really. 

I've been making tweaks to the way I eat and what I eat for awhile now.  Even back in early july (04) when I joined the the McConnell Weight Management program, I thought my cholesterol would be sky high.. i thought that, my folks definitely thought that.. yet I also thought.. ya know I eat pretty good.  Sure enough it wasn't high.  About the only thing I the docs really wanted me to do is just lose weight.  No major warnings went off.  After all I do have a 6'5 frame here. 

So in roughly 2.3 months I've lost 20 pounds.  I'm excited!  For awhile there I was thinking i wasn't eating enough to keep my metabolism running, and the 1500-1800 calories a day limit was easy to meet.  I've never been a big eater really.  I've always disliked that.  People see a big guy and they assume two things, "hmmm that guy could move our sofa..." and  "hey we're getting some pizza you want me to order you a 5xl just for you?".  Ahhh the bane of being big.  I always thought i ate like a rabbit really.  Little here, little there. 

I can feel the muscle coming online as well.  First in the arms, then in the legs, and you begin to want more.  I want more at least.  I got the frame, now I want some muscle and I want to tone it a bit.  If I can do this much in 2.3 months.. baby look out... what's to come in 6 months.  This is going to be good year. 

Massage is a key to all of this as well.  A good massage carries well.  Between the workouts and eatin right and massages twice a month, stress just doesn't last long on me.  Thats good.  Now I need to add some additional sports to my non-existent sport portfolio.  I like biking so I think I'll take that back up.  I also picked up some free weights for home use and I plan to work on some mini workouts on days I somehow don't make it to the gym. 

Another outside goal is to take a tai chi, yoga, qiyong class of some sort.  I'd like to learn meditation and better breathing exercises. 

Well on that note, things to do.. this weekend has been glorious!  Enjoy the week all. 

Posted by dan at 11:14 AM | Permalink

not that i'll actually find it...

some snaps of it

where spam comes from... hmmm  / spam shirt nice

$50 what do ya think... pointless?  i think i still want one..

interactive floor.. cool!  very cool feedtank, woah finding a few oddities today

this man is incredible.. i want the voltron, hell just read all these research art pieces

Posted by dan at 05:30 PM | Permalink

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

• DESTINY
• TURNING POINT
• MOVEMENT
• PERSONAL VISION

In Greek mythology, there are three women known as the Fates. They are responsible for spinning the destiny of each person at his or her birth. It is not surprising that the Fates are spinners because the wheel of fortune is an apt image for the elusive turns of a man's fate. This is the theme of Card 10.

The Wheel of Fortune is one of the few cards in the major arcana that does not have a human figure as a focal point. This is because its center is above the realm of man - in the higher levels (clouds) where the destinies of all are woven together in the tapestry of life. The tarot recognizes that each person sets his own path in life, but is also subject to the larger cycles that include him. We experience chance events that appear to be accidents although they are part of the great plan.

In readings, the Wheel of Fortune can indicate a vision or realization that strikes with great force. If you've been struggling with a problem or tough situation, this card can signal that you will find the answer if you stand back and view everything from a larger perspective.

The Wheel of Fortune also represents unexpected encounters and twists of fate. You can't predict surprises; you can only be aware when one is circling around. Indeed, Card 10 often suggests wheel-like actions - changes in direction, repeating cycles and rapid movement. When the energy of the Wheel arrives, you will feel life speed up. You are caught in a cyclone that may deposit you anywhere. "Round and round and round she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows."

After much soul-searching, the Fool begins to see how everything connects. He has a vision of the world's wondrous design; its intricate patterns and cycles. The Wheel of Fortune (10) is a symbol of the mysterious universe whose parts work together in harmony. When the Fool glimpses the beauty and order of the world, if only briefly, he finds some of the answers he is seeking.

Sometimes his experiences seem to be the work of fate. A chance encounter or miraculous occurrence begins the process of change. The Fool may recognize his destiny in the sequence of events that led him to this turning point. Having been solitary, he feels ready for movement and action again. His perspective is wider, and he sees himself within the grander scheme of a universal plan. His sense of purpose is restored.

Posted by dan at 07:05 AM | Permalink

Just browsing.  A little undercover camera work from yesterday's field trip to Lowe's.  I'm glad I decided to walk around and capture what I wanted with my vest/camera rig and THEN ask the manager.  He was like "no way in hell man.. no cameras allowed!"  Understandable, that's the response yer supposed to give really.  Just always ask permission after you've gotten what you really need.  HA!  Anyways its all good. 

Today I rode the fine line of successful out comes.  I rendered media files with just seconds to spare, webex actually worked and i think i'm still on the free trial of it, my 512mb cruzer saved the day yet again on some quick installs, i actually found a driver for a webcam in just a few clicks on logitech's website.. i mean these are amazing things.  I even got cleanerXL to convert my windows media files to quicktime in just a few clicks.  Scary stuff.  Stressin though, big time, lots to do.  I dont like my desk.  I need more arm support for typing.  I need to get some flat screen monitors I think.  Free up some space. 

Ya know all this Bush forged documents is total spin.  I see it as one big planned propagana event.  I mean if yer fallin out the headlines due to lack of good press, hell make a great bad press story and at least squeeze out the compeition on sheer headings.  I swear some sites have like six different news stories covering this crap, I could give a rats ass what he did in the air guard, yet theres, forged, not forged, i think forged, i defend my views of forged, its not forged, we think i am forged, forged or not youd decide.  What crap.  Lets get back to oil, fucking iraq, and all the other REAL shit that connects bush like a dotted line to the real crap.  Next they're gonna throw out some scandal that he didnt pay a parking ticket.. how can he run the country... and thats the republicans pushin that crap to make the people mad at the fact that crap is being pushed by the media.  Its all one big sham.  Bad news is better than no news.  Slippin the polls, get a whacky story goin, get yer self in the press anyway you can.  Its total shit.  I think its hilarious that these sites have endless articles on this one lousy frickin forged report.  I'd like to know more detail on the 1000 american troops that have been blown away in car bombs in the now newly reformed FREE iraq land.  And what's this, we found a few postit notes of Iran considering nukes, fuck them, lets get them as well.. i mean the pipeline may need to cross over into there as well. 

Posted by dan at 06:59 PM | Permalink

LUGZ, I own a pair.. :)  I always liked this commerical spot done by PSYOP -look in the projects

Change is good.  Tonight I squeaked in 20mins of workin out and then enjoyed 90mins of bliss - a massage from Barb at the gym.  She is a hoot.  A frisky, spunky, gigglin, chatty, bouncin, vegiterian, enviromentalist, feng shui doin, naturalist, experimentalist, funny, crazy, down to earth, honest, awesome massagin, beautiful lady.  Whew thats a lot.  I think we danced thru 20 or so different topics, drugs for astronauts, massage chairs, relationships dos and don'ts, cars, music, school, fine arts, men and women-dynamics and behiavors, the part of the neck that really doesnt like cell phone usage, air cleaners, misquito foggers, seeds, plants, soy burgers, steak, water.. did ya know ground beef is.. well its alot of things, lol I always get a great massage from Barb and a ton of great conversation.

My last 2hr massage from her lasted a good three weeks of bliss.  Tonight I only got 90mins but its all good.  Heck I didn't even really need one, just wanted to see her, chat with her, and ok sure, and i love gettin a massage. 

On the workout side of things its going well, really well.  I hit the gym at least four days a week now, I try and get it for five, thats my goal.  Cardio is still my biggest hurdle, its difficult and rather boring despite the numerous tvs around and books to read.  It just doesnt give the same high as lifting weights and the weight equipment.  Its different, its more "look at me go, burn that fat" where as with the rest of the workout its "look at me change".  And I can see the change, feel the change, hell I gotta buy new clothes already.  Thats great! and bad.. haha.  More $$$$ to go ahhh well.  I feel like I've made the lifestyle change though.  I eat so much better, have so much more energy and i'm not a crack caffinee addict any more heh.  I still have the occasional redbull and drink tea but i've put the coffee on the off list for the moment, it just wreaks havoc on my stomach.  As for the build, I like it alot.  I feel the change in my build and i'm damn excitied about it.  Write this down Dan, you should of done this YEARS ago.  Gah what was I thinking.  I just didnt know.  I saw it all as work, a chore, a plague of effort.  Now if I go more than 2 days without working out I feel it, I gotta get back in there. 

I do have a few strageties for the Cardio side of things.  I've split up the work, track, treadmill, bike, rower and the occasional EFX machine.  The EFX kicks my ass though, and hurts my knee.  Rowing I like alot, but man it kicks my ass as well.  Treadmill I can do, but boring.  Bike not bad either. 

All this has carried over into my other habbits as well.  I read MensHealth, which is a really good mag overall, I like it alot.  Its not so "ARRRGGGGH I AM ARNOLD, come touch my MUSCLE!!", which all the other mens health / workout mags are like.  I'm shoppin for some weights at home, and I'd like to get an excersie ball, maybe even one at work, I think it'd do my posture wonders.  And mental note dan, you need to stretch more.  DeSTRESS, focus..

Sadly I bet this massage will last about 2 days max as I slam head on into a mountain of work.  I gotta do it though.  Gonna get it done. 

Man I like the web.  It's forced all the trade specific mags to get online.. and they typically have some of the juicer tidbits.. that is if yer interested.  I was on the PSYOP site reading of their press and then I found ShootOnline site, that covers the latest ad production happening.  I always love readin about that industry.

REEL HOUSE
I've been a stock footage nut since the early days of dan in a can and painter 3.0.  Heck I think it started with the Amiga 1000.  I just love stock footage and royalty free footage.  Its like pre tapes, just a bit to get you started.  Already just watching it and listening to some music.  I wanna edit something.  I've been having alot of edits wander thru my mind lately.  Music videos for the mini cooper, videos to capture brand stuff we're doing at work, paradoy pieces, fashionpixel fills.. all of that and more.  I do love to edit. Remeber the goodness. RT . mini

Posted by dan at 10:25 PM | Permalink

flash-photozine material

mooncruise - i really like the site layout and that collide - razor sharp track is nice, this is the kinda site design look id like to see for fashionpixel

not really a flash mag, more of a cool art site - buy some prints!

WTF? here's a hilarious flash vid..

portal action

little web zen goes a long way, some hilarious zen'age in here, check out the pirate links

not quite a portal but just as nice, again i dig the craftster... course i'm more of the buyster...

what the hell are they selling here.. other than the obvious..

design munchables

FLOR, this is awesome.. now i just need a cool floor.. maybe we should use this at work in one of the labs or something

crown dozen is a nice blog/portal type site bringing together some interesting reads, lotta cool product ideas on here to check out

next year I wanna nextfest

stuff ya don't need but wanna buy

i don't really need it but i've always liked what blueQ has put together, I'd like to see my own version of BAD ASS gum

mmmmmmmmmm chips! and I love the packaging design, good stuff Route 11

knock knock is a site i've liked for awhile now, i've been getting more into postcards and odd stationary items, lately postcards have been a big addiction.. must stay way from bookstores.. i keep finding eclectic oddities that spark my interest.. speaking of knock knock, here is an excellent pr "look at me, look at me" promo page, simple site design that carries the "what we've done and who's noticed" aspect of knock knock, thats a solid piece there, I like that page alot.. simple, short, sweet.. powerful.

  I love knock knock.

art for sale

all things incredible

flickr is at it again, slideshows!  yeeeehaw!

Audi gets emotional... "As broadband adoption climbs past 75% for this savvy group of Internet consumers, expectations continue to rise. We've created the latest generation of audiusa.com to act more like an interactive virtual showroom than a simple research library. Making the product experience more emotional and immersive was a key strategy to proactively influence purchase intent." woo fun with color too!

not that its incredible.. but its a worthy note to see the goverment put this back on the table... a trend perhaps?  the tech's all there..

Posted by dan at 01:11 AM | Permalink

Hola de floozies, what is happening?  Anything?  Let's see.  First lets dance! 

I feel like flying.  I always did love planes.   I love living next to OSU airport.  You get all the little planes, nothing to big, just great sounding planes.  I can remember my farther going to the OSU airport to fly single and twin engine aircraft as a hobby.  On light biz trips he'd opt to fly himself.  I love that. 

Birds.  I've been watching birds lately.  Maybe they been watching me.  At the intersection of bethel and sawmill there's always at least 30-40 birds perched up on the phone lines.  The get all ruffled up, fly around, circle the intersection and return.  I watched them the other day for about 20mins.  It was like a dance.  Now I have birds on the brain.  I see them at other intersections staring down at us, I wonder what we look like to them.  I'm always interested in the one or two birds off on their own about 10-15 feet away from the main pack.  What'd they do.. who'd they piss off. 

Aside from bird watching I am eagerly awaiting fall and waving goodbye to summer.  No vacation for me.  Though I should still schedule the time off, I just have no place to go I guess.  I thought about Vegas but, hitting it on the end season means no pool access.. and for Manadalay Bay, the place I wanted to hit, that means no wave/beach action heh.  Granted its not the same kinda beach action as a real beach.  Plus airfare and hotel for four days was about 1k.  That seemed high but I have no idea what conventions were there at the time.  Conventions always ping those numbers up.  For 1k i figure i could get bonnet stripes and rally lights on the mini with some spare change for whatever else may be of interest.  Maybe I could do the grill treatment.. currently its chrome, but what if I blackened it out.. and then added stripes.. I bet that'd look sweet. Hmmm   Course then I need a cool rooftop design.  I'd though about using the obey giant star, or something logo/iconic on there.  Not sure yet. 

Well work is spinning up to a monster of a week I can feel it.  First up loads of noddin and wavin and shakin hands, then its off to test some new camera rigs and then we round out the week with some much needed video reel editing.  Its gonna be tough. 

Well that wraps up this ramble, stay frisky folks.  Turn on, tune in and drop OUT! 

Posted by dan at 10:58 PM | Permalink

A weeee bit trippy.. makes me think of Nik. 

Who wants to clipit with me?

Posted by dan at 09:23 PM | Permalink

Yeah!  Music arrives!  All the way from the UK, direct from Juno Records.  This week's listening pleasure will be brought to you.. well me by:

Magnus - The Body Gave You Everything

Booty Breaks Volume 1

Prodigy - Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned

Way Out West - Don't Look Now

Drum & Bass Arena

Vatos Locos

Why Juno why not amazon?  Typically my musical selections haven't been found on Amazon.. that plus their delivery has been suckin in my opinion.  Getting these six cds from the uk in just four days is damn spiffy I say.  I also hate how amazon has to break up the shipping packages all the time.  And I wanted to try something new... though I did pay a bit more for it thats for sure.  Most of these cd's aren't on Amazon though. 

Posted by dan at 10:07 AM | Permalink

Hmmm tofu successful, workouts good.... i think it was a good weekend.  The mini is shining, all is well, what's there to say?  Well first off I'm sore and tired... today's workout hurt.. i'm probably pushing myself too hard but i like it so what can I say... owww thats what I can say.  HA! 

Trader Joes.. yes Trader Joes.. best source of Habenero Pistachos.. very yummy.  Oh ya I did something this weekend.  I wrote out the first 15mins or so of GatorNation (the epic mini series) about gators gone wild.  Not a bad start, I'm glad I got some content down on paper.  I tried storyboarding it initally but it was too difficult to keep up with the images in my head.  Still progress is progress.  I really need to bang out this concept.

I bought a few new flicks.  Chronicles of Riddick - Dark Fury, a 35 minute animated dvd from the maker of Aeon Flux, Peter Chung.  This guy is awesome.  Great animation I hope they make more of this.  Its in the 2d animation style with a definate Aeon Flux style of art and character design.  Great production values on it.. very slick disc.  They use a few 3d shots in there as well.  Actually quite a bit but mainly in background and some killer creature effects.  I really liked this disc.  Amazon.

Next up we got Black Hole!  The classic scifi epic... it really is a classic, especially when you consider the effects on this flick for 1979.  I always had a particular liking to Maxamilian.. probably the first ever true bad ass robot on the big screen.  The behind the scenes extras on this disc add some real shine to the Black Hole.  I didn't realize this flick had over 100 effect shots and that there's an alternate ending as well, that never got shot but still I liked their idea for the ending better than the one they ended up using.  Cheesy flick?  Oh sure, still a classic though.

Next we got Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex, a tv series production IG cranked out about two years ago.  It did well.  In fact theres a new OVA series I think or maybe its a new tv series Stand Alone Complex 2 thats now out in Japan.  I wanted to try this series out cause I'm kinda hungry for something new in the animation world, new and polished yet has a nice classic flavor to it.  Now this inital pak came with 2 dvd's, first 4 episodes in dts and 5.1 digital yadda dadda.. two discs identical expect for audio encoding.. that's kinda different.  Also came with the cd soundtrack. 

Lastly I broke down and picked up Complete Macross - ala Robotech.  I know why, dan WHY!?  I dunno.  Actually watching Macross Zero made me a little hungy for the original that started it all.  Zero is without a doubt the BEST animation i've seen in years.  It is soooo damn fluid, so perfect, so true to the original concept yet wildly engaging and just flat out amazing. 

Posted by dan at 11:20 PM | Permalink

Well I think I've mastered my Ginger Tofu recipe.  Last night I whipped up another batch of tofu goodness.. and ya know what?  It was damn tasty.  Its fun to make as well.  I even bypassed whole eggs for egg beaters, that was an added bonus goodness as well.  Overall i'm really happy with cooking that.. takes some time to prepare but its really good.

This is interesting... lol, nice work.

Other random linkage.

PepsiFU vs all those other FU's

Posted by dan at 06:20 AM | Permalink

Starbucks to increase prices.... WHHAT?!  LOL thats hilarious its already 3.50 for a tall white chocolate mocha.. and that thing is tiny! No more for that Joe! 

Course I don't drink coffee any more anyways.  Its not the caffinee issue its the coffee issue that doesn't jive with me tummy. 

190 comments?  Yep, all on:

Tipping debate: How much should you tip for a cup of coffee?

Posted by dan at 08:02 PM | Permalink

A bag of combos has 240 calories.  These are the pure Cheddar cheese, not the nacho ones which are my favorite.  Typically combos give me heartburn.  I usually avoid them.. but i saw some today... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. need nacho. 

Posted by dan at 11:26 AM | Permalink

Yesterday flew by.  I think it was a mix of proper stimulants that did it.. and some excellent stimulus as well.  First up I had about five cups of various black teas.. i'm sure that helped in switching me into high gear.  I finished seemingly minor changes to the work website that had been on the to do board for months.  I probably need to take a short course on Dreamweaver just to get back into the swing of site design. 

After cranking out the web changes I dived in to the "to do" list which this month is exploding with action items.  I russled up the contacts for the ever dragging Tablet PC project.  It's dragged on too long really and it has serious research/promo/yeeehaw potential.  Gathering all the players up for that project took a little time but its on the schedule now - excellent!  200+ students diving head first into pen based interaction tablets and the wireless world of education.  Theres going to be ton of insight coming to the table on that one.  I'm particullarly interested in the backend of things.  The intergration of systems and software to pull off a seamless experience of "it just works" i think is going to be a long road for schools getting into this field.  Sure we've had computer labs in schools for awhile but we haven't seen a school individually arm each student with a tablet before.  That kind of system and infrastructre to support it can and should be dynamic, automated, easy to use etc.  There is a ton of pioneering happening on the back end.  A huge potential for Microsoft and other players to see whats happening, where educators are heading and what students are demanding thru their various workflows etc. 

I've had this school tablet agenda on my to do list for almost a year now.  I think its a great story and a great piece of work to be apart of.  Luckily my contacts on the school end happily agree and can't wait to get started. 

There are some significant hurdles though:

• how do you make it wifi friendly free creative and yet restrictive to limit the amount of p2p action that will occur
  
• tablet os is still primarily developed around a keyboard mouse UI enviroment, who will pave the way for smarter ui apps that are developed for the end user in mind
  
• is it fast enough, do we meet the specs, is it good enough, are we faster - surely, are we as connected?
  
• whats my persona, im a student in the year 2005 and im armed with a tablet pc in a wifi enviroment where all my books and education rides with me, who am i... and am i popular? 
  
• personal customization, what will students do to seperate themselves from the pack, how will they create new packs and what role will the technology play
  
• backend connectors, whos making sure all big picture connections and plugins are being created,
  
• logistics of hardware and the new educational space, whats it mean to not have any more books and that everything is electronic, do we need labs any more, do we need lockers? - syd mead, come visualize with me
  
• social software collaboration tool explosion, groups working together takes on a whole new meaning in the classroom, what software developers are taking that on, what are students looking for, what are teachers looking for what are educators looking for
  
• adoption by students to this tech offers little resistance, wheres the bottleneck - teachers, how to overcome their hurddles
  
• redefined bookbag, yer bookbag now contains a $3000 piece of hardware that holds everything you do, tell me more about that, weight, damage-ability, replace-ability, backup-ability, ruff-tough-ability,
  
• wifi campus, hazards of wifi, free wifi, hacks in wifi, perimeter awareness and wifi, wifi tracking of students and usage, where do kids typically connect, why there, whats it about that space, real time visualization of tracking,
  
• security access, monitoring usage, bandwidth concerns, hidden prowlers, educators on board roaming students machines in real time, privacy issues
  
• documents and winning formats, whos going to be the winner - pdfs, docs, pngs, gifs, xml, do we need new formats to do what were doing - if so what why and how
  
• admin access, essentially all these students are given a form of admin access on thier gear to promote the idea that they are in control of their future, how do you prevent or deter a level of user fumbling errors within as we know is a complicated os to begin with, the potential to royally mess up yer box is high, do we need a shell, a kind of shield of control that lies beneath a system of free will
  
• tech and maintaince, who does what, who fixes, how, whats the downtime, whats the repair like,
  
• proper consideration on what gravitates more than others in a tablet os/wifi enviroment, math apps vs social study apps, math apps are booming, social studies apps.. well its not the same, how do classes and how they are taught break down differently when translated into tools and enviroments, science, math and art translate well into the tablet os development enviroment, social studies and other like classes struggle with no pioneering application to help drive stimulus of that field of interest, why, what can be done
  
• where does the technology end, what gaps can we not breach, will it be "pens down" or "tablets down please.."
  
• what is this new educational space look like, describe it, visualize it, render it, tell me about it, talk about it, whats the new lunch room look like, what about the halls, how bout the kids in metal shop, visualize the space and what is occuring
  
• whats it sound like, how do we talk now, what terms are being used, what do we hear in the halls "joey and his 802g, my b is just as good.. have you checked out bit9.5 yet, it easily bypasses the new firewall"
  
• how do we keep up, how do we maintain a level of control vs an army of explosive minds
  
• theft, theres a whole new market advantage here in top dollar gear to hussle, we're not sellin pens and staplers any more we can deal in smart cards, lithum batteries, chargers, cables, flash drives, media, memory and machines to boot.. we've raised the stakes and now our potential loss is far greater, how do we deal with that, how do we work to prevent it
  
• not just for school, these tablets arent just for school, they arent just used in school, they go into the home, they go to the park, they are part of the students life, tell me about that dynamic, where does the school system end and the home enviroment begin, what are the issues with connectivity and workflow in an non schooling enviroment 

As you can see, I personally have alot of questions.  I doubt I'll get all my answers, but you can sure bet I'll be seriously curious and tryin. 

After the fury of activity for the tablet project I gobbled down some minor lunchable action and headed off to talk about retail retrospective ethnography.  Wow, yeehaw!  WTF is that?  Its basically our new system we've developed to observe/track/data-collect/analyze and visualize consumers in a retail space.  The system is only the what, we back that up with the why and complete the research with retrospective intercepts that occur in sync with the live data collection process.  In the end we get some serious insight into the customer experience.

Its a great system for before/after store design, problem seeking and tuning of a merchandised space or for discovering key interaction points and emotional drivers behind the customer in your envrioment.  Whats particularly exciting for me is the development of the application, the visual synthesis of the data to a more pleasurable measure of viewability (woooha!), hardware + logisitics of camera usage, and the desired metrics from the client.  Thats all a pretty spiffy way of saying I'm damn proud of our retail rig creation.  Especially since it started more from a pure data capture application and continued to evolve.  I'm also proud of having excellent folks to work with on the project, namely - Troy and Bob, two local friends here who helped me assemble my vision of what we needed to do to pull this rig off.  And of course to Lextant for allowing me to run with it.. though I wouldn't of given them the option really.  Passion doesn't work that way its all one way baby, whether ya like it or not, i'm making this thing! 

Anyways I'd like to think one of first big ahhhhh ha's in diving into this design research for me was the opportunity to work with retail design folks.  I've been a big fan of firms like RPA and Chute Gerdeman for years.  Even before going to texas to work in animation and then coming home here to lextant, I've been a total slobbering fan over retail design firms.  Its the art of creating a space that just sucks me in, i love every aspect of it.  So now that the retail rig is off and running and getting some killer feedback from retail design folks I can't help but be passionately excited about it.  Yesterday we took a mini tour of Chute Gerdermen and I was floored by the creativity their office oooooooozed with.  Right away you know these guys and gals simply KICK ASS.  It was awesome to be there and I can't wait to do expectional work with them.   

When I got back to the office a smoothie laced with bee pollen helped jazz me up for another 4hrs of bliss.  I contacted some folks in Montreal to get the skinny on their application for store displays to interactivily change with tracking, I honestly got the take-a-way that they had no idea what they really had there.  Its built for tracking people in a space and telling the plasma screen that "someone is near start playing that cool video" etc.. but their technology could just as easily be developed more into a "customer has reached this segement of the store, etc etc" like our retail rig.  Our rig is a bit more sophisicated though.  We don't do static cameras, we follow folks, zoom up on them etc.  How would the system handle that?  Dunno.  It does create unique realtime outputs that are right outa terminator though.  I like that part. 

Tracking people in a space isn't new btw, but its hardly "obtainable" without pain.  Lotta folks go "ya ok ya track so what", its not the tracking thats the big winner on these ideas and tech, its everything else.

Initally the gang in Montreal is targeting advertisers with their application.  Makes sense, makes things like the gap ADs in Minority Report seem more likely etc.  Least thats the comparison people continually bring to the table.  And all the fear around it?  Whaaah?  I can't understand that really.  Besides retailers and advertising folks would be stupid in my opinion to simply ignore that aspect of emeriging technology.  My first thought is - has anime taught you nothing?!?  heh.

Posted by dan at 07:37 AM | Permalink

or so she said to me...

I've got a new space at work.  Ok its not a new.. new space but new roomies!  They always seem to say the most hilarious thing to me at times... "i had the most awesome mcGriddle this morning!"... ummkaaay. 

Posted by dan at 09:49 AM | Permalink