June 2009 Archives

June 30, 2009

Whew! Liz and I have been in California since Friday, and we just got back into town last night. Our friends Kevin and Molly got married, and I've got tons of photos from the weekend. I've had limited access to the web since we left, and it's been ages since... (read more)

Looping Michael Jackson

June 26, 2009

Like everyone else, we were caught by surprise when hearing about Michael Jackson's death. Today, Derry brought in a bunch of DVDs of MJ - tons and tons of videos. He set up things in the kitchen flatscreen, looping a lot of Jackson's videos throughout the day. At first, I... (read more)

Zubbles: Colored Bubbles Now Available for Pre-Order

June 25, 2009

Hard to believe but I posted about Zubbles over four years ago, way back in 2005. Imagine my delight and surprise when I saw an email come in this morning - announcing that their bubbles were officially available for pre-order! I'm happy to say that within 10 minutes of... (read more)

Me, a Couch, and a Bunny

June 24, 2009

My ass had a very important meeting with the couch this past weekend. I'm happy to report that meeting went very well. This is Baxter, hanging out under the table. Me? I'm taking a nap working out camera angles for that screenplay I'm writing, in my head. One of... (read more)

Lunch with Liz, Fountain at the Art Institute

June 23, 2009

Yesterday, Liz and I went out for a lunch near the fountain by the Art Institute. We were able to sit in the same area where I proposed marriage, which is always nice. I like these lunches, as I always tend to follow the same pattern. I get nervous... (read more)

Columbus Foods: New Discoveries in Vegetable Oils

Between you and me, I figured we were already done figuring out all the stuff we can do with vegetable oil. But apparently, we're not. Spotted this on the walk to work yesterday, and it gave me a chuckle. It seemed like such a strange tagline to promote. I... (read more)

Flash Game: Learn to Fly

June 22, 2009

I spent WAY more time on this than I should have. The gameplay and graphics are nothing to write home about, but it's these #$^$%&! awards/achievements that just appeal to my compulsive/obsessive nature, and suck me in for the long haul. Learn to Fly has a cute intro, but... (read more)

Visiting Frankfort for Father's Day

June 21, 2009

Liz and I went down to Frankfort for the afternoon/evening, hanging out with Bob and her mom. I watched Bob install a new gas line and get their fancy new Weber grill up and running. Nearby, a small bird had settled and was apparently a little addled or sick... (read more)

Chicago Rabbit Sitter: Meeting Liz and Her Six Rabbits

June 20, 2009

In the past, when Liz and I have gone away for a long weekend, we've been able to come up with creative ways to ensure Baxter's taken care of during our absence. Sometimes we have friends stop by to visit. Sometimes we put her in our bedroom, or let her... (read more)

An Alternative Approach to Publishing: James VanOsdol and the 1990's Chicago Music Scene

June 19, 2009

My friend and co-worker James VanOsdol is raising money to fund his book, tentatively titled "Chicago Rocked!" In the 1990's, James was on the airwaves at Chicago's alternative station Q101, hosting a music radio show called "The Local Music Showcase" (later to be called "Local 101"). During that decade,... (read more)

My Pecha Kucha Guide on Presentation Zen

Found out I got a nod from Garr Reynolds over at Presentation Zen. Earlier in the week, I saw that he was soliciting some stories from folks for his upcoming book. I ended up sending along the Pecha Kucha Guide I made, after attending Pecha Kucha Chicago, Volume 9. I'm... (read more)

Civilization: Elevator Video Mural, Depicts Heaven/Hell as You Go Up/Down

Civilization is a video mural on display at the Standard hotel. As the elevator goes up, the visuals change to depict images of heaven; as the elevator goes down, the visuals change to depict images of hell. The project was a collaboration between Marco Brambilla and Crush. Though the... (read more)

Car Rollover and Seat Belt Safety Demonstration, Downtown Chicago

June 18, 2009

On the ride in to work, I got a message from Mike: You and your camera need to swing by federal plaza today. State Police are here giving a demo of what happens during a rollover accident. They actually have a truck, looks like a roller coaster ride.... Sweet. Liz... (read more)

Clay Shirky Video: How Technology is Shaping Groups and Conversations

June 17, 2009

I've just spent the past 20 minutes totally sucked in to this video of Clay Shirky, talking about the ways technology and the Internet are changing the way we communicate. Here's a taste: "What matters here isn't technical capital, it's social capital. These tools don't get socially interesting until they... (read more)

Videos from My Pecha Kucha Talk + A Guide to Making a Pecha Kucha Presentation

June 16, 2009

Over the past weeks, I've been putting together some notes and ideas as a result of my Pecha Kucha talk. I found that I really enjoyed the creation process, and ended up having a lot of thoughts as to all the ins and outs of what makes up a Pecha... (read more)

Ben and Allison are ENGAGED!

June 15, 2009

Congratulations, Ben and Allison! So happy to hear this news, and so looking forward to saying congratulations in person. Lovely, just lovely.... (read more)

Penny Arcade: Three Storylines, Three Beginnings...

Penny Arcade is a site/comic I've followed for a good long while now. I'm not quite the hard-code gamer that makes up their primary audience, but I still find it incredibly fun (and funny) to see what the two main characters (Tycho and Gabe) are up to. Recently, they've taken... (read more)

Liz's Graduation and Celebration: Master's of Science in Applied Statistics

June 14, 2009

Outside of the ceremony site, across from Allstate Arena. Liz showing off her ceremonial robes, along with the "hood" that accompanies those receiving their Master's degree. Oh, and as a side note - she's also graduating "with distinction." How awesome is that? Liz with Bob and Julie. Allstate arena,... (read more)

Computer Day

June 13, 2009

Spent most of the day working away in front of a computer. Half of it was on wedding stuff, and the other half was on a sort of "guide" I'm making - tips and suggestions on creating a Pecha Kucha talk. A good, full, busy day. If I were to... (read more)

Deadline: Stop Motion Video with Post-It Notes

June 12, 2009

A little end of the day animation, courtesy of Justin. As you're watching this, make sure to sneak a few peeks at the guy's desktop too. Crazy! // Edit: Make sure to watch the making-of video too. He set up a lot of the animations in Flash, and then... (read more)

Liz is All Done with School!

As I was washing the dishes last night, Liz came into the kitchen, shut off the water, grabbed my hand and said "Let's go." She had finished up her last homework assignment and sent it off to her teacher. Officially - she was done with school. No more homework, no... (read more)

Nick Gets a Chocolate Moustache

June 11, 2009

Yesterday, Liz ended up taking all the chocolate noses and moustaches in to her work place, but ended up having one extra. Sometime mid-afternoon, I met up with her and grabbed the extra chocolate moustache, and figured I'd put it up for grabs in the office. I sent out an... (read more)

Chocolate Noses, Chocolate Moustaches

June 10, 2009

This is the last week of Liz's classes, and she's got one final left to turn in. She's been plugging away pretty hard at the books all weekend (and the past two days), and finally hit a point last night where she could take a break. And what does she... (read more)

Cassette From My Ex: Officially a Contributor

Got a nice email from Jason and the folks at Cassette From My Ex - I'm officially a contributor, and got a nice sneak peek at the cover art. Funny that, over a year ago, I happened across the site randomly, only to find out Jason was involved. On top... (read more)

Visualization of Coltrane's "Giant Steps"

June 9, 2009

Via MeFi, this is a fun visualization of Coletrane's Giant Steps, with the notes appearing as the song progresses: Many years back, I posted about a fantastic animation made by Michal Levy. I now think of his animation, everytime I hear this song. Definitely makes sure to check it out.... (read more)

RIPT Apparel: T-Shirt Designs That Only Live for 24 Hours

June 8, 2009

TJ and a few of his friends recently launched a clothing site called RIPT Apparel. It's been up for a little while, but today officially marks the first day they've got a t-shirt for sale. So swing on by and have a look! The premise of RIPT Apparel is... (read more)

Julia Nunes: YouTube Ukelele Superstar

June 7, 2009

In January, I made a little ukelele post featuring a fun rendition of "Build Me Up, Buttercup" by a YouTube user named jaaaaaaa. Turns out? Her name is Julia Nunes, and she's done pretty well for herself. She's played with Ben Folds, toured around a few spots in the UK,... (read more)

Second Guessing Yourself: Improve Your Estimates by Guessing Twice and Averaging

June 6, 2009

Via BoingBoing, spotted a Scientific American article on how you can become more accurate in your estimates. Short answer: assume you were wrong the first time, guess again, and average the two. The results are, surprisingly, more accurate. Herzog and Hertwig had participants make estimates about quantitative values they did... (read more)

Concert in the Stairwell

June 5, 2009

Madhu is one of our developers, and an incredibly nice (and quiet) guy to boot. Turns out, he likes singing. And yesterday, he held a small concert in the stairwell, with people standing on the steps between floors to listen. I found out that he had given two concerts, prior... (read more)

Felix Jung, Pecha Kucha Chicago: Repetition and Variation

June 4, 2009

For most of the day, I was a nervous wreck. I woke up early to do a few practice runs of my Pecha Kucha talk, and then promptly spent the next 8 hours trying not to think about it. I tried to concentrate on work as best I could, but... (read more)

Hello, Pecha Kucha Visitors

June 3, 2009

For those folks who are visiting after seeing my Pecha Kucha talk, welcome! Since I was on stage, I didn't get to take a ton of photos. I'll be trying to gather up pics other folks may have taken, and will make a recap post about the event later this... (read more)

Khaan! Video Loop of William Shatner's Classic "Star Trek" Scream

June 2, 2009

I haven't been checking my RSS feeds lately, and only happened across this because I was browsing BoingBoing directly. Daniel Martinico made a 15-minute movie called Khaan!, featuring really nothing more than the classic Shatner scream from Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. On first viewing, I laughed and thought... (read more)

Monthly Collective Mixtape

The mixtape project at work went on a brief hiatus, and has returned as a monthly offering. I present to you the Monthly Collective Mixtape, with the current them of Live Songs That Don't Suck.... (read more)

Homemade Vanilla Extract

June 1, 2009

Remember how a few months ago, Liz began working on creating vanilla extract from scratch? Well, a few days ago the batch she made was ready... and she redistributed all the liquid into smaller, wedding-gift sized containers. Using the vanilla beans that had been soaking, she cut them in... (read more)