tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4422461656006338472024-03-12T23:09:56.110-07:00Dave WenzlickCoding, Comics, Cooking, and ComputersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-72080629709087698262015-05-23T13:54:00.001-07:002015-05-23T13:54:43.670-07:00Auto mat share thing on webs http://ift.tt/1FvvBOq<img src="http://ift.tt/1FLlloq" /><br />
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<p>Auto mat share thing on webs <a href="http://ift.tt/1FvvBOq">http://ift.tt/1FvvBOq</a></p>
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via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1FLlnN7
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-66174642272337924002015-05-23T12:48:00.001-07:002015-05-23T12:48:26.315-07:00http://ift.tt/1Q3wdxG<img src="http://ift.tt/1IRIPZP" /><br />
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<p><a href="http://ift.tt/1Q3wdxG">http://ift.tt/1Q3wdxG</a></p>
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via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1F2XMkt
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-84157541124265196112015-05-23T12:28:00.001-07:002015-05-23T12:28:51.063-07:00<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xfa1/t51.2885-15/e15/11379989_1440184776286202_1548073844_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div>via Instagram <a href="http://ift.tt/1Q3wdxG">http://ift.tt/1Q3wdxG</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-67207440327237372192013-07-20T09:02:00.002-07:002013-07-20T09:02:18.271-07:00Moving to tumblrHope to see you there.<br />
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<a href="http://dwenzlick.tumblr.com/">http://dwenzlick.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-37026192533354642292012-03-20T17:59:00.003-07:002012-03-20T18:03:27.039-07:00Support Comic Books Q&A StackExchange ProposalI'm going to assume most of the readers of this site know what <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/">StackOverflow</a> is. How awesome would it be to have a similar website about comic books? Click on the image below to help this site come to life.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/3972/comic-books?referrer=XnO3P5nsIjl6JgswQkbPfw2"><img src="http://area51.stackexchange.com/ads/proposal/3972.png" alt="Stack Exchange Q&A site proposal: Comic Books" width="220" height="250" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-67711857569492743332012-03-14T08:36:00.003-07:002012-03-14T08:47:50.109-07:00My Cat Found a Mouse<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4ca77IPSjg5O_hbVY1mcBz8s4GHQhf1QRRPZzKwxlJjobL5hSBqw5cSIgr8evc6AH3oJILyEhBRAsECbaaK69dtCfOVB9neLJF1O0YF2JfazmjxR7JYZW9bOFq8N5syd-2K_ttaotd8/s1600/IMAG0054.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4ca77IPSjg5O_hbVY1mcBz8s4GHQhf1QRRPZzKwxlJjobL5hSBqw5cSIgr8evc6AH3oJILyEhBRAsECbaaK69dtCfOVB9neLJF1O0YF2JfazmjxR7JYZW9bOFq8N5syd-2K_ttaotd8/s320/IMAG0054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719779059932766658" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My cat Hue found a mouse.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSWRLj7TFILS7NYSYixFzfgc_kLlbIUWDQ8jQW0A7jkSQkwnW5mfCfPu23R0cgPU8l9hZEtAZnqv8fv-90FCScuQBNiXeO5qEPsVywH8Wvz3IRviBjSDfMGPj4jTFG9GYaRAWrlZvN-4/s1600/IMAG0058.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSWRLj7TFILS7NYSYixFzfgc_kLlbIUWDQ8jQW0A7jkSQkwnW5mfCfPu23R0cgPU8l9hZEtAZnqv8fv-90FCScuQBNiXeO5qEPsVywH8Wvz3IRviBjSDfMGPj4jTFG9GYaRAWrlZvN-4/s320/IMAG0058.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719777525122899650" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">He thought it tasted good.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjgB3N_e0LF-Ckap8U8wD7H_OzXcVFD-9r0h8qc6g7zbVPsYvZWlDj7nwZdREat1qQH1th53tHrdCkS1d6oSZxXD8lWFjShCdEoaDFjs6K4uTAx7mOIAr_8JCYw_AGl7uFm7-w7dd5xQ/s1600/IMAG0022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjgB3N_e0LF-Ckap8U8wD7H_OzXcVFD-9r0h8qc6g7zbVPsYvZWlDj7nwZdREat1qQH1th53tHrdCkS1d6oSZxXD8lWFjShCdEoaDFjs6K4uTAx7mOIAr_8JCYw_AGl7uFm7-w7dd5xQ/s320/IMAG0022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719777541607815730" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;">He was so happy, he took a nap.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtt61in1rPUrWeu1m4dGITKP-ytP1YGQ3f-d_Sb4FH1R14_lEFqF30LOc9U6dO6vjSndE-QYk1E-q_brYgyrYtBFZBo3VEcdTF1tPF1Kn4sQ0C2fszcObixXh6xYP2bZyif2T1EO2Vf9k/s1600/IMAG0025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtt61in1rPUrWeu1m4dGITKP-ytP1YGQ3f-d_Sb4FH1R14_lEFqF30LOc9U6dO6vjSndE-QYk1E-q_brYgyrYtBFZBo3VEcdTF1tPF1Kn4sQ0C2fszcObixXh6xYP2bZyif2T1EO2Vf9k/s320/IMAG0025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719777534596642290" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;">The end.<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-9104530945424109002011-07-01T06:44:00.000-07:002011-07-01T06:47:12.797-07:00This is why more people don't read comicsWTF Grant Morrison<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.comixology.com/js/MAR110294"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-47087510644378852172011-04-26T14:41:00.000-07:002011-04-26T15:07:19.375-07:00Ubuntu 11.04 - Quick UpdateFirst, I'm no longer having problems with the icons in the main menu not showing up. Also, the weird KeePass causes my screen to flicker issue magically got fixed when I did a clean install. Last, the Dropbox icon is showing up in my indicator applet. Over the past month, a lot of bugs have been fixed.<br /><br />The focus-follows-mouse thing is still an issue, but I know focus-follows-mouse is not all that common. I have not opened a bug report about this yet because I'm not sure how important it really is to me. At work, I do not have focus-follows-mouse, and I use that computer (sadly) more than my Linux boxes.<br /><br />There are still a few annoyances. In the launcher bar, custom menu items (menu items I've created myself) do not display the icons I've chosen for them, but the launcher bar is almost always hidden, so it's not a big deal.<br /><br />I have a minor issue with the global menu. When my mouse is not at the top of the screen, the panel displays the name of the application that has focus. When I mouse over panel, the name is replaced with the global menu bar (the typical File, Edit, View, etc. menus). I think this behavior will be surprising to new users looking for their menus. New users will quickly get use to this; however, I just feel like this behavior is not very intuitive. It's a pretty minor complaint, but bugs me nonetheless.<br /><br />Overall, Ubuntu 11.04 is going to be a pretty solid release. The issues above are so trivial that I almost feel silly complaining about them. The menuing system is much better than the old gnome way (old way being pre-Gnome 3). Screen real-estate is better utilized. The social integration works better than my previous install (more than likely, my old install was misconfigured). When Natty Narwhal is finally released, you should all download it, use it, and love it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-68575101131357174802011-03-27T12:57:00.000-07:002011-03-27T13:04:55.185-07:00Ubuntu 11.04 First ImpressionsI recently updated to Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal Alpha 3. The final release is due out at the end of April, but I couldn't wait. I ran "update-manager -d" and installed the update. Four hours latter, I was running Natty Narwhal. <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">After the update, I had to do a little house cleaning. OpenOffice.org was still installed even though LibreOffice is the new office suite. There were a few other packages still installed as well. In total, I removed 152 MB of unused packages after the update. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">This is the first release to use the Unity desktop environment by default. Gnome has always been the default desktop environment for Ubuntu. I've been a big fan of Gnome, and I was not too excited when Canonical announced that Unity was going to replace Gnome as the default. With that said, after using Unity, I think it's a solid desktop environment. It has a lot of usability improvements over Gnome 2. I'm really interested how it will compare to Gnome 3. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Unity isn't all good, however. I have a few complaints, but first, a disclaimer: I am running an alpha version of the software, thus some of the problems I experience may be fixed before the final release. Also, I have been a Gnome user for 6+ years. Some of the complaints I have could be due to my inexperience with Unity. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Now my complaints –</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">First, I have always used focus-follows-mouse (not focus-and-raise-follows mouse – that's annoying). Unity uses a global menu (similar to OS X). This means that the File, Edit, View, etc. menus appear at the top of the screen instead of the top of the window. With a global menu, the mouse has to leave the window on the way to the file menu. This means the window loses focus and therefore causes the global menu to change to whatever window now has focus. I know that I'm in the minority for my preference for focus-follows-mouse, but the global menu makes it nearly impossible to keep this option enabled. Bye-bye focus-follows-mouse. Tear.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Second, Unity doesn't seem as customizable as Gnome. I cannot add any applets to the panel or the launcher. I can pin apps to the launcher, but that's about it. There are some icons on the launcher by default ("Files & Folders" and "Applications") that I want to remove, but right clicking on them or dragging them off the launcher do nothing. I hope that the apparent lack of customization is just due to my lack of experience. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Last, there are a few bugs I've noticed. When displaying all applications in the menu, no icons are displayed. Dropbox's icon is not in the indicator applet. I cannot close KeePass 2.x (a mono application). When attempting to do so, the screen goes black for a second and KeePass is still open. I'm sure these issues will get resolved before the final release (especially if I file a bug report). </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I've frequently upgraded Ubuntu during the alpha and beta releases. For the amount of changes being introduced in this version of Ubuntu, there is surprisingly little instability in this alpha release. There are a few bugs, but I'm looking forward to the bug fixes and overall polish that will be developed over the next month leading up to the final release. If you're impatient like me, upgrade to the alpha, but if you don't want to risk instability wait until the final release. Either way, Natty Narwhal is looking like a great release.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-27719679940974463182011-03-19T08:34:00.000-07:002011-03-19T08:34:59.790-07:00Language Can Be Fun<p>I had a lot of friends have fun with the creation of not one new word, but two. Hopefully <a href="http://dwenzlick.blogspot.com/2011/03/phinsuct.html">phinsuct will start a new trend of captchargon</a>. Thank you all for reading and commenting. I think this proved that language can be fun. Need more proof? Watch this video by Stephen Fry:</p><br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J7E-aoXLZGY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<p>I remember when I was in high school how I use to complain when I had to write a three page essay. By the time I finished college, if a professor gave me an assignment that only had to be three pages long, I was ecstatic. I could crank out three pages in about an hour. During college, I was writing almost everyday; I was well practiced.</p><br />
<p>A few years later, I was rusty. If I had to write an essay, I could produce a page of half-thoughts and incomplete ideas. The skills I honed in college were atrophied. I created this blog partially to regain those skills, but for the better part of two years, this blog has laid idle. It gathered virtual dust, not because I had nothing to write about, but writing had become hard again.</p><br />
<p>I would like to say that I am going to start writing more, and that I will regain my lost skills once again, that this is just the first in a long series of new post, but I have seen many final blog posts say exactly the same thing, so I won't say that.</p><br />
<p>What I will say is that if I can go over a year without posting anything new, and I have at least one person enjoy what I eventually do post, I'll keep the blog going. If I'm not posting anything new, rest assured that there is a little nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that I need to write something new.</p><br />
<p>Thanks for reading.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-23461644310478937782011-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:002011-03-15T10:30:46.830-07:00phinsuctIf you google search "phinsuct", the only result is my blog. Why? Because someone left a comment on my blog that simply said "phinsuct?". Since this is a made up word (I believe it was presented to a friend of mine in CAPTCHA), but it links to my name, I believe it's my responsibility to create a definition for this word, after all, I am a very phinsuct individual.<br />
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phinsuct: adj. (fin suhkt) one who is always interested in new things or constantly learning about new things.<br />
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Please feel free to start using this word.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-51034304745995409352010-01-28T04:58:00.001-08:002010-01-28T04:58:22.086-08:00Windows Live Writer<p>So my new computer came with Windows Live Writer. Basically it’s a word processor for your blog. I haven’t done anything too difficult with it yet, but so far it’s better than the built in editor. I could be completely biased, but I have never liked online office apps (except for email). They always seem sort of sluggish.</p> <p>Well, I’m about to hit the publish button. I sure hope it doesn’t insert a “Made with Windows Life Writer” message anywhere. If any of you have suggestions for other similar apps I should try, hit me up in the comments.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-31715171757553607112010-01-03T06:46:00.000-08:002010-01-03T08:02:18.718-08:00New YearsLooking back on all my New Years' celebrations, I have realized something. I miss the New Year's parties of my youth; one in particular. Since starting college, they have all been the same, drinks and party games. Don't get me wrong. I love playing boardgames and card games, but back in the day, I use to accomplish something on New Years. I use to beat a video game.<br /><br />Starting early in the evening on New Year's Eve, I would pick a video game and play it into the New Year. My goal was to play it straight through. I remember <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warcraft:_Orcs_%26_Humans">Warcraft</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civ_ii">Civilization II</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_sword">Iron Sword</a>, but the game that I remember the most was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realms_of_the_Haunting">Realms of the Haunting</a>.<br /><br />My buddy Willy brought this over one year, and we played it until very early in the morning. This games was great. It was a first person shooter unlike anything I had ever played at the time. It took place (mostly) in this old house where your character's father had mysteriously died. Your goal was to get to the bottom of the mystery, but soon you found out that there was much more going on.<br /><br />From your father's study, you find a secret passage that leads to some occult temple right under the house. Creepy stuff! You would pick up books or ancient relics to aid in your search. Enemies would not simply be around the corner, but rather get summoned out of thin air, typically right in front of you. You would hear children laughing when you opened certain doors. Strange people would pretend to help you, but later betray you.<br /><br />This game had everything. Action, horror, suspense, great cut scenes, many places to explore. Willy and I never beat the game that night (most likely because of the 40+ hours of content this game packed), but we had a blast playing it. I think next year, I'm going to try to beat a game, not the typical drinking and party games. I don't play too many video games anymore, so maybe it will have to be me versus <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Horror">Cthulhu</a>.<br /><br />Happy New Year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-74086463426921359412009-09-30T19:09:00.000-07:002009-10-01T03:37:06.840-07:00Go faster!Recently, a development group came to us and wanted to know how they could "go faster". Their users were demanding more and more changes, and they were having trouble keeping up. "Go faster", an interesting choice of words. Immediately I thought of a race car driver.<br /><br />If I wanted to drive a car fast, what would I need? The first thing I thought of was a fast car. If I want to go fast, I'm going to need a car that can do it. What are some of the fastest cars out there? Indy cars are pretty fast, but I wouldn't have a clue how to drive one of them. So I guess I need to have knowledge to drive the car fast. I'm also going to need experience. The first time I drove a car, I wasn't driving on the highway during rush hour. I worked up to it. Alright, I got a fast car, I know how to drive it, and I have the experience to drive it fast. What else do I need? A race track would be good. I'm not going to go 200 mph around my neighborhood, nor would I want to go that fast on a dirt road.<br /><br />So Car + Knowledge + Experience + Road = Fast.<br /><br />What does that have to do with software development? A car is essentially a tool. When developing software, we use an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IDE</span>, build scripts, source control, and all sorts of other tools. We need to understand the problem that needs to be solved and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">language</span> we are going to use to solve it. Having a good understanding of development best practices and good software design comes with experience. Having a good process (path to follow) makes getting high quality code out the door so much easier.<br /><br />So <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Toolset</span> + Knowledge + Experience + Process = Fast.<br /><br />There are some other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">interesting</span> things to note about this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">analogy</span>. You need all four things; otherwise, this equation does not work. I could be the most experienced driver on a race track, but my go kart just isn't going to win the race. I could have the fastest car, but without the knowledge and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">experience</span> to drive it, I'm going to crash and burn. Likewise, if I have the car and the know-how, but I'm trying to go fast on a road littered with potholes, I'm going to have to slow down or I'll lose control.<br /><br />This is true for software development, too. Not having the best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">toolset</span> can really slow down even the most seasoned developer. If a newbie is handed the best development tools in the most organized environment, the lack of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">knowledge</span> and experience is going to slow them down. Finally, a poor process is either going to slow down a project or completely derail it.<br /><br />Happy driving.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-3494005138350665762009-08-23T19:47:00.000-07:002009-08-23T20:41:41.879-07:00All My Eggs Are Securely in One BasketAll hail Google, the new supreme overlord.<br /><br />So, I've been using Gmail for a while and I've really enjoyed it. My preferred window navigator is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">avant</span>-window-navigator. I use Google Reader and Google Calender for my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">RSSing</span> and calendering. This blog is hosted by Blogger. I'm creating a website using Google Sites. I love playing with Google Earth and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SketchUp</span>. I've experimented with Chrome. I belong to Google Groups. I use Google Maps for my directions, and YouTube for my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">distractions</span>. And just this weekend, I got a phone with android installed on it.<br /><br />All of the above is created/owned/developed/maintained by Google. Well I guess I'm going to have to use Picasa for managing my photos now.<br /><br />So am I a Google <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">fanboy</span>, or has Google just managed to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">infiltrate</span> all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">aspects</span> of my tech life? I do think they put out some quality applications, but is it a good idea to rely on one company for so much? Is Google the new Microsoft? The answer to these questions are as follows:<br /><br />Both; I willingly drank the kool-aid.<br />Probably not, but it's Google, and they don't do anything evil.<br />Yes, and I don't care as long as I get to keep using android.<br /><br />So bow down now. Resistence is futile.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-83386167829961188742009-07-25T10:55:00.000-07:002009-07-25T11:01:39.429-07:00Publishers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhudKGbVrtefkCF4EhK9e3fij8a4bJ0L6cy-72cu3WhH0uBW1XGqji-bk1VzbWTT5YTm_EYUzPvwdKSyIVpkWazIUh7T7dZtUlOTUIPVy1ARsNxDmRJrkaYfMh8AJeUaoYtE0Cp7Fd8Y/s1600-h/collection_drawgraph.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhudKGbVrtefkCF4EhK9e3fij8a4bJ0L6cy-72cu3WhH0uBW1XGqji-bk1VzbWTT5YTm_EYUzPvwdKSyIVpkWazIUh7T7dZtUlOTUIPVy1ARsNxDmRJrkaYfMh8AJeUaoYtE0Cp7Fd8Y/s400/collection_drawgraph.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362458824165612434" border="0" /></a><br />This is a chart of my comic collection by publisher.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-90575291570128823642009-07-03T17:23:00.000-07:002009-07-03T17:45:01.522-07:00USAHappy Forth of July everyone. Here's my top 4 reason I love the USA.<br /><ol><li>Melting Pot. In my life, I have met people from all over the world, and I have eaten all types of food, and the only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">foreign</span> country I've been to is Canada. That's right. Michigan has a lot of diversity, and I can't imagine what places like LA or New York or like. It's a great thing that I have the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">opportunity</span> to experience so much so close to my home.</li><li>Freedom of Speech. Let's just say I like to speak my mind. I love that I don't have to fear speaking out, or up, or down ;)<br /></li><li>Freedom of Religion. My views may be different than yours, but that's cool. We can all tolerate each other beliefs, right? I sure hope so, and everyone I hang around with is cool with it.</li><li>Voting. I've got a say in what goes on. That's awesome.</li></ol>Happy birthday USA.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-82113565244383028162009-06-29T15:00:00.000-07:002009-06-29T15:45:25.507-07:00Congrats John and ChrissyAnna, Kristen, and I drove up to Port Huron for John and Chrissy's Wedding. The car ride there was nice. I love long car rides where the conversation hides the static from the radio station that you no longer get, and you never really notice. With good company and conversation, car rides (my least favorite thing about vacations) seem so much shorter.<br /><br />We got to the reception about an hour early, and we had time to check out a local brew pub. I tried eight different beers, but nothing too special. One of the eight was a Miabock. I never had that style before. It was probably my favorite out of the bunch. Good thing Anna and Kristen were there to help me through the eight "samples".<br /><br />We got to the reception right on time. I sat with a bunch of co-workers. It was fun to hang around all of them, and we never even talked shop. It's nice to hang around friends and not talk about work, especially when you're out of town.<br /><br />The reception was so much fun. I cannot remember when I danced that much. I'm not sure how good I was. My dancing philosophy is just don't stop moving. Well, I didn't stop moving; I think I hurt myself. Besides dancing, the night included good food, one incredibly good pepper (that's right Pete, it was delicious), fireworks, a bunch of boats, and a lot of comics talk.<br /><br />We were not planning on spending the night, but we were having so much fun that we lost track of time. It was about 1:00 am when we left the reception. We thought about driving home, but decided that we were all too tired to drive. Got up the next morning, ate at Bob Evan's, and drove back to home.<br /><br />Later that day, Anna surprised me and took me to Potter's Park Zoo. The red panda was my favorite. With all the traveling, late night partying, and walking at the zoo, I can't believe I wasn't that tired come Monday morning. All in all, this was the best weekend I've had in a long time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-36433571298746496522009-06-18T18:10:00.000-07:002009-06-18T19:11:21.471-07:00ListsI recently read <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/9-lists-to-keep-updated-and-keep-handy.html">this article</a> about lists. It seems funny to get excited about lists, but I do. Lists help you to not forget. Lists help you free up the mind so you can focus on other other tasks.<br /><br />My traditional list medium of choice is the much loved Post-it note, but I have also been making digital lists for some time using one of my favorite applications, <a href="http://projects.gnome.org/tomboy/">Tomboy</a>. When I used to write a lot of music, I would carry a small pad of paper around at all times to list lyrics I thought of throughout the day (some of these eventually became songs -- most went through the washing machine and were lost forever, my best works I'm sure). Heck! Most people never use a spreadsheet for its original purpose (to calculate financial invoices), but they use it to make all sorts of lists.<br /><br />Out of the nine lists the author talked about, I found I was already keeping six of them:<br /><br />1. Things I Want - thanks wish list<br />2. Gift Ideas - thanks Tomboy<br />3. “Got a Minute?” - thanks <a href="http://www.ideashower.com/ideas/launched/read-it-later/">ReadItLater</a><br />4. “Watch, Read, Listen” - thanks Netflix<br />5. Great Ideas - thanks Tomboy<br />6. Grocery List - thanks Magnetic Christmas Penguin Pad<br /><br />The most beneficial list I keep is my Great Ideas list. Not only do I not forget an idea I have, but this usually turns into a goal of some sort. A program to code, a blog entry to post, a story to write - when I have the need to be creative, I have a place to look to get me started.<br /><br />So what I'm trying to say is give lists a try. You might like them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-40380625735836949112009-06-15T17:48:00.000-07:002009-06-15T18:12:52.930-07:00Vader is Now Receiving 87 Channels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlkpkBflh71mQOe26Y54MGP4EiCRY1yYtq2ZiNx15WeJFcrPUwSEFOWMfFG-XrRxICmKgn5o0EF7AXi4uUkLYij1IQSiSfedAimpbYTi7_mP0l7LDSg346ykgHIlzv-e7nWljreDYeKU/s1600-h/IMG_2947.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlkpkBflh71mQOe26Y54MGP4EiCRY1yYtq2ZiNx15WeJFcrPUwSEFOWMfFG-XrRxICmKgn5o0EF7AXi4uUkLYij1IQSiSfedAimpbYTi7_mP0l7LDSg346ykgHIlzv-e7nWljreDYeKU/s320/IMG_2947.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347721616423230434" border="0" /></a><br />Or perhaps a more nerdy title, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Rebels Have Won</span>.<br /><br />Vader was chasing rabbits in the back yard. I'm sure she was only trying to introduce herself to her fuzzy neighbors, but she got a little too excited. She jumped up on a fence and *squeamish readers go to next paragraph* ripped off one of her toe nails.<br /><br />So she has to wear this funnel on her head until Saturday. Poor, ridiculous looking dog :(<br /><br />It's OK to laugh -- we have, both out of hilarity and pity. She can't tell where she's going or how much space her facial region takes up know, so she runs into a lot of things and managed to get herself stuck on a corner of the wall.<br /><br />Now that you're all incredibly sad, here is a less embarrassing picture of Vader:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPgAM-EOuVagzygzqE2qrQCF8yB0DQYlzXsMGHF9EKFTK5t-eweikoy1jBcBnvVNkD3NdZcJ6h05oCQ_vHUzA6FdWDTw5qtl9FIMgVxAdsAjh58n_VucML45-cN6efQdMYNJv78T2E-U/s1600-h/IMG_2940.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPgAM-EOuVagzygzqE2qrQCF8yB0DQYlzXsMGHF9EKFTK5t-eweikoy1jBcBnvVNkD3NdZcJ6h05oCQ_vHUzA6FdWDTw5qtl9FIMgVxAdsAjh58n_VucML45-cN6efQdMYNJv78T2E-U/s320/IMG_2940.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347726101643842354" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-80197384343190592102009-06-10T15:43:00.000-07:002009-06-10T16:17:38.797-07:00Batman ReturnsI would have to say that the vast majority of my numerous (cough, cough, five, cough) readers do not follow comics, so I'll keep this brief.<br /><br />Batman 687 hit the shelves today. For those not it the know, Bruce is dead (sort of - stupid DC), and Dick Grayson (the first Robin/Nightwing<object width="475" height="300">) is filling in for the Detective (permanently?). That's right boys and girls, Robin/Nightwing is Batman. How did this happen? Let me explain.<br /><br />Batman died, I cried, Dick said no, Jason said yes, Tim said if not Dick then me, Jason beat Tim, Dick got mad, Dick beat Jason, and then Tim quit.<br /><br />Good. You're all caught up.<br /><br />So does Dick have enough guts to warrant a utility belt to hold up the tights? So far, I would say yes. I only have two complaints:<br /><ol><li>This book came out after Batman and Robin. This book should have definitely came out first. Read Batman and Robin #1 after this one. It will make more sense.<br /></li><li>This book showed the "Battle for the Cowl" better than any book in the Battle for the Cowl story arc, but it's not part of the Battle for the Cowl story arc. I'm glad I read Battle for the Cowl, but this book is what I wanted Battle for the Cowl to be.</li></ol>That's right! My complaints are not about this book at all. Go read it!<br /><object width="475" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.icomicsonsale.com/d/APR090150"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.icomicsonsale.com/d/APR090150" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="475" height="300"></embed></object></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-54522433571033567472009-06-07T18:26:00.001-07:002009-06-07T18:51:11.358-07:0027Today was my 27th birthday. It was nice. I got up, drank some coffee, then got ready to go fishing. My mom called me and sang me Happy Birthday, and then my two nieces sang me Happy Birthday also; although, Cora said I looked like a monkey and smelled like one too. I chuckled.<br /><br />I went to Lake Ovid. I've never been there before. It was a lot bigger than I expected. I talked politics and technology with my bud Travis. I caught a few gills, and I was totally out-fishing Travis, but then he caught a six pound catfish. Technically I caught more fish than him, but nothing close to the size of that. We were there until 6:30. On the way home, a truck with a trailer was passing me, and the trailer's ramp fell off and almost hit me. It was crazy.<br /><br />I came home to find Anna had made me a birthday cake. It had candles on it and everything. I can't remember the last time I had to blow out candles. I got them all in one blow! The cake said, "My Geek, Happy Birthday!" She knows how to make me smile.<br /><br />Now I'm going to relax.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-53445562266540360682009-05-17T08:35:00.000-07:002009-05-22T14:34:42.572-07:00The Force is Strong with this OneAs some of you may know, I have three cats. They are all named after Star Trek characters. We have Dax, Data and Hue (10 bonus points to anyone who actually knows who these characters are). Well, this weekend, we got a new addition to the zoo...um I mean family. We got a black lab mix.<br /><br />I've been asked numerous times, if my cats are named after Star Trek, what would my dogs be named after. The logical (Vulcan) choice was Star Wars; however, Anna and I are not that into Star Wars. We don't know nearly as many Star Wars characters as we do Star Trek (most likely due to the supremacy of Star Trek over Star Wars...yeah that's right - eat it George Lucus).<br /><br />Well, we were a bit rushed; we had to decide on a name because we were getting her licensed. The dog is a black lab, and what is the nerdiest thing I could think of that is black? No, not Lamar from Revenge of the Nerds, but the Sith Lord himself. And that is how we ended up with Vader. Now all of our dogs will be named after Star Wars characters. I can't wait to meet Mace Windu, or Boba Fett.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442246165600633847.post-63360033951478073882009-05-07T17:57:00.000-07:002009-05-22T14:35:49.235-07:00Sterotypical First PostWhat is this experiment I am conducting? I have gone many years with no desire to have a presence on the web, and now I am on facebook, twitter, and blogger. What will come of all of this? Why now? Well, let this first post explain some of my reasons. Explain to whom? Anyone who cares, I guess.<br /><br />There are many reason why I am embracing the web now. First, I am a web developer. The Internet is not going away anytime soon, and you cannot deny the power of social networking. How, as a professional, can I call myself a web developer and not keep up with emerging trends and technologies?<br /><br />Second, and more personal, I feel that I have lost contact with many of my friends. I miss you all, and the web is a tool to help me reestablish these friendships.<br /><br />Third, and most personal, I want to write. I have always wanted to be a writer. I am taking this opportunity to establish a writing habit. If anyone reads my stuff, that's great! But I cannot become a good writer with out practice. Well, I'm practicing.<br /><br />Last, I want to share my thoughts with everyone. Why? I don't know. Maybe you'll find what I have to say interesting. Let me know. Maybe you'll disagree with me. Let me know. I would love to hear any type of feedback. The mere fact that someone may be reading this makes me happy.<br /><br />Stay tuned!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164017163782064257noreply@blogger.com3