QUICK HITS 010

• 09:06 I'm going to make a wild guess, but when "Cinnamon" wants to be my friend on MySpace, I'm guessing that's actually spam... #
• 09:07 ...and yes, it looks like "Cinnamon" is only interested in enlarging part of my anatomy. #
• 09:20 @Diji - Max Payne is great. Played through the first one. #
• 12:57 loving this pic: "Invasion of the Gnome Snatchers" tinyurl.com/2gzwhp #
• 14:39 checking out these "Go Bag" postings, including one with bullets - tinyurl.com/2ehewv #

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STONE SOUP

Anyone out there remember this story? It was one of my favorites in the reading center in kindergarten.



I was just reminded of this moral from the story:

If you want to get people to do something, don't tell them how desperately they are needed. Don't try to appeal to their sympathy and kindness. Instead, create the impression that you are giving them the opportunity to be part of your success.

I think we can all use that one in our lives, right now.

Technorati Tags: story, childhood, stone soup, lifehacks, life

QUICK HITS 009

• 10:08 Dear Eric: Welcome to work. We'd like to inform you that the most important links on the site are all broken. Please fix now. #
• 11:08 Checking out this great list of 18 overlooked things to bring to college - tinyurl.com/3ytdam #
• 16:23 Love me some St. Germain - tinyurl.com/236w6t #

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NEW MUSIC: Bitter:Sweet

Love these guys, because they've got a real laid-back funk groove going on. Sounds like something from a James Bond or Ocean's Eleven (Twelve, Thirteeen) movie. Put this stuff on and get swanky.

Enjoy!


SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search

Technorati Tags: bitter:sweet, music, seeqpod, new music, funk, swanky

QUICK HITS 008

• 12:39 Wishing, at least for a little while, that I could have the life of Penny Arcade's founders - tinyurl.com/2mnxat #
• 12:41 ...and yes, I just NOW sat down at my desk. Love me some meetings. #
• 12:43 I'm GOING to get this power-saving remote computing set up tinyurl.com/2xrv4m #
• 13:37 Desparately wishing I could start up a company half as cool or as profitable as this girl tinyurl.com/248rsh #
• 14:26 Lovin' the musical stylings of the John Butler Trio - tinyurl.com/2c3q74 #
• 15:40 Loving this kids' chalk board table tinyurl.com/34p2g4 #
• 15:46 Updated John Butler Trio playlist tinyurl.com/2buwcv #
• 15:47 Reading an NYT article about laptops in meetings. And no, I'm not in a meeting. tinyurl.com/yre354 #
• 15:51 Need to check that router my Uncle gave me to see if it's hackable like this tinyurl.com/oug4p #
• 16:12 Feelin nostalgic listening to: Primitive Radio Gods - Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand #

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TIPS I'VE LEARNED

I started writing these down one time - just thought I'd post them for you.

• If you're approaching a door with one of those bar-style push handles that goes across the whole thing, and you don't know which direction it's going to open, hold out both hands and as you're walking through, lightly push on both sides of the door. One direction will give, and you can open the door without a struggle.


• If your mouth gets dry, try chewing your tongue a little - it will start saliva flowing again in your mouth. Be warned, however - I've been told you can only do this trick once every hour or so.


• Whenever you get a new gadget with a plug adapter, they usually come wrapped with a rubber-coated wire tie. When you unpack your new gadget, wrap the wire tie around the cord near the plug. This way you'll always have something to keep the cord coiled up when you need to pack it up.


• When filling up your car, pick a nice even dollar amount that's close to what it costs to fill your tank and only pump to that point. This saves you time with your checkbook later, and if you do it consistently, makes it easier to calculate your fuel/commute budget.


• If you grab your lunch from a restaurant and eat it at your desk, always make sure to pick up TONS of napkins when you get your food. You can put the extras in a drawer and use them to clean up random minor spills. They can even act as tissues in a pinch.

Technorati Tags: tips, lifehacks, productivity, life, better me

VIDEO: Those Crazy Japanese

In case you haven't noticed, the Japanese do some crazy stuff on TV. Humiliating, can't-stop-watching-the-train-wreck stuff. And yet, it's usually quite funny...

Bathroom Prank


Human Tetris 1


Human Tetris 2


Nicolas Cage Singing about Pachinko


Odd Japanese Black-screen Skit


Technorati Tags: web, fun, funny, japanese, video, youtube, nicolas cage, game show

QUICK HITS 007 - License to Kill

• 09:15 Reading Ars Technica's review of Bioshock - the bad: it ends. tinyurl.com/37grwy #
• 09:17 @jabbott: That graph curve for IE6 is amazing. With all the headstart it had, it could be at pre-launch levels by the end of this year! #
• 09:27 Checking out a Lightbox effect done with only CSS. Not as smooth as some of the JS ones I've seen, but good concept - tinyurl.com/22 #
• 11:47 Christian YOGA? Seriously? tinyurl.com/284jlw #
• 12:01 Lovin' me some Imogen Heap - tinyurl.com/2f784x #
• 12:06 Wait, wait - this one's better: tinyurl.com/qxcj8 #
• 12:19 Checking out how to get coffee stains out of carpet www.fabriclink.com/Stains/Carpet/Coffee.cfm #
• 14:37 Here's that lightbox URL, without clipping: tinyurl.com/22corj #
• 16:00 Maybe there's hope for Palm after all! Be sure to read Engadget's post linked here - tinyurl.com/2azlfk #
• 16:03 My buddy Adam better be glad I didn't do this at his wedding - tinyurl.com/37ym8d #

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VIDEO: The Ultimate Best Man Speach

This one's worth another post for today...

ULTIMATE BEST MAN SPEECH

VIDEO: A Cappella is COOL.

Many of you know of my passion for a cappella music, particularly when applied to the music of today. There's tons of college groups doing this kind of thing now, and they put out some incredible stuff. Here's just a few of my favorites.

Frou Frou - Let Go


System of a Down - Aerials


U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For


Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin' Down


Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody


Technorati Tags: web, fun, pop, music, a cappella, youtube

QUICK HITS 006

• 09:51 watching Real Sports' article on steriods - fascinating stuff - tinyurl.com/2vqseh #
• 11:00 Ironic - we're having a bake sale to raise money for Juvenile DIABETES. #
• 13:19 Checking out my submission to creativemyk.com tinyurl.com/2r4frb #
• 15:19 Doin' my D.A.N.C.E. - tinyurl.com/26chov #

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PHOTO SETS YOU MIGHT ENJOY

They're no videos, but I thought you might like these:

The 56 Geeks Poster

405 Method Not Allowed

HTTP Errors

New Lukas Photos - First Food!

Technorati Tags: photos, flickr, geek, web, baby, http

QUICK HITS 005

• 10:44 Wondering which car I'm going to get, since I OBVIOUSLY missed out on the M3 - tinyurl.com/3bxvav #
• 10:49 Stunned by Cramer's meltdown - tinyurl.com/2zrc47 #
• 11:10 drooling over this concept for the Ferarri Dino - tinyurl.com/2hfx9b #
• 11:12 Batman's got a bat-bike, apparently - tinyurl.com/2yuznc #
• 11:22 @jabbott: ready to start doing Flash work in HD? tinyurl.com/2yvu5h #
• 11:26 @jfritsche: Here's some of those wordpress plugins you're looking for - tinyurl.com/338gh7 #
• 11:46 @Diji: care to share? Buy a brother a burrito? #
• 15:03 @jfritsche: perhaps he had a chicken near by? #
• 15:43 "My Leg Is Asleep Walking" - HILARIOUS! tinyurl.com/2a98n2 #

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QUICK HITS 004

• 10:38 Reading the latest update from the underground "Heroes" series blog - www.samantha48616e61.com/ #
• 10:39 According to zoominfo.com, apparently Eric Swayne is a Man - tinyurl.com/2am4wg #
• 11:12 Playing with this Flickr color selector - color.slightlyblue.com/ #
• 11:17 Updating my twitter design. Still in the works. #
• 11:20 Love this article - great practical summary of how to increase your Google Juice organically tinyurl.com/2l94g6 #
• 15:20 Rocking out to clips from Ronald Jenkees' new CD - ronaldjenkees.com/music-store #
• 15:25 @jfritsche: not being a Veronica Mars fan, I had to look that one up. What's her power? Investigative Reporting? #

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QUICK HITS 003

• 09:15 I'm not sure if these Smart Technology pieces from Pottery Barn are cool or too Martha Stewart - tinyurl.com/2u9328 #
• 15:01 checking some crazy animal pics - tinyurl.com/2dtnyz #
• 15:31 stunned that a church is giving out $15 iTunes gift cards to new visitors - tinyurl.com/ysarb9 #

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VIDEO: Dancing with Keepon

I dare you to find a cuter dancing robot. Music courtesy of the great band, Spoon - song is titled "Don't You Evah".

Technorati Tags: video, dancing, robot, Spoon

QUICK HITS 002

• 10:58 did you know there were this many spells in Harry Potter? tinyurl.com/2mcb52 #
• 11:00 checking these amazing pics of The Morrinho Project - tinyurl.com/3e365n #
• 11:02 Just heard Norm Hitzges from 1310AM The Ticket say "pounding the pee-daddle" #
• 11:38 sending this article about making your own action figures to Paul (pbhylemon.blogspot.com) - tinyurl.com/yrccjf #
• 12:31 I've determined that you really need a spork to eat ramen noodles correctly. #
• 12:58 fascinated by the Indonesian music art of Gamelan - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan #
• 13:10 Checking out the great music podcasts from Pandora - blog.pandora.com/podcast/ #
• 13:51 internally whining like a little girl because I can't buy this tshirt now - tinyurl.com/2h47ty #

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WORTHY OF BLOGGER PR!

Looks like I'm important enough to warrant some blogger PR! Yes folks, I have arrived.

They've asked me to link to their company's site, so I'm doing so in the email below. Thanks, Abazias for taking notice of a little ol' blogger like me!

Hi there,

I noticed that you recently blogged about our "Will a Diamond Engagement Ring Blend?" video! We found the topic to be extremely interesting and glad you felt it was worth a mention as well.

In looking at your recent post http://stoplookingswan.blogspot.com/2007/08/video-journey-she-did-what.html
, I was wondering if you would be willing to include a link to the actual video or our website within that post?

If this is something you'd be interested in doing, or discussing, please feel free to let me know.

Also, if you had any additional ideas to discuss, I would love to hear them!

Respectfully,
Julie
Abazias.com
Stock Symbol: ABZA

"Will a Diamond Engagement Ring Blend?"
http://www.abazias.com/video/diamond_ring_in_a_blender.asp

Abazias Diamonds
http://www.abazias.com

Technorati Tags: web, pr, blogging

VIDEO: Lucas with the Lid Off

No real theme here, I just liked this song back in the day, and recently was shown this video of it. Enjoy!



Technorati Tags: web, video, gondry, lucas, music

QUICK HITS 001

• 13:20 just had lunch at Bone Daddystinyurl.com/36trlw [tinyurl.com/36trlw] - that was interesting [tinyurl.com/36trlw] #
• 13:32 Reminded by Micheal that today is the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death - tinyurl.com/3cqyrh #
• 13:35 Listening to "Chocolate Rain".... ?? tinyurl.com/2h2pwe #
• 14:03 informing jabbott about the Uncanny Valley - tinyurl.com/693kg #
• 17:00 checking out Lukas' new theme song - just spelled his name wrong -tinyurl.com/yppbvp [tinyurl.com/yppbvp] #

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VIDEO JOURNEY: Animated Text

Who says you need actual people to make a video? These videos will show you that all it takes is the words on the page... with some funky animation.

The Ocean's Eleven Project

Typographics - Vancouver Film School

DJ Format - The Hit Song

- this one has people and text, but it's GENIUS. Sample line:

"...I've got more hits than when you're playing blackjack with a deck of twos..."

Brazil Typography

Hey Ya

- apparently this kid named Obadiah Parker covered Outkast's "Hey Ya", and it's AWESOME^AWESOME

More sweet vids available and compiled by the GREAT Dave Shea at mezzoblue.

Technorati Tags: typography, text, video, youtube, mezzoblue, animation

iVODKA

Jess had a good idea that I thought I'd riff on...

How to make vodka more appealing to a Mac user:

1. Call it iVodka.


2. Put it in a milky-white translucent plastic bottle with no obvious way to open it, and tell everyone that buys it about how beautiful the bottle is.


3. Make sure your iVodka bottle is not compatible with any other kind of vodka.


4. Use a vodka that doesn't actually get you drunk, but just gives you a "pleasant user experience."


5. Do a presentation on iVodka. Your slides may have no more than 5 words for the total presentation. Get someone to liveblog your presentation about the vodka.


6. Shut down all stores about to sell iVodka at 6pm for "stocking."


7. Have people post step-by-step pictures as they unpack and attempt to drink their iVodka.


8. TV commercials.
   

   Hi, I'm iVodka
   
   Zdravzvutye. Menã zovut Regular Old Boring Vodka. Ya nenavizhu etu stranu!
   

Technorati Tags: mac, macintosh, maclovers, vodka, russian, iMac, apple

VIDEO: Baratunde Rafiq Thurston

I don't think my whole blog will become videos, but I keep finding great stuff to show, so I'll keep putting it up!

Baratunde Rafiq Thurston is what happens when you mix 5 parts stand-up comedian, 1 part social activist and 3 parts snarky geek. What Marvin Gaye did for social issues with soul music, Baratunde does with stand-up, and does it well.

Here's a good opener to get ya'll introduced - sorry about the poor video quality.

And here's my favorite Baratunde riff, entitled "I Hate the Smugness of Apple". Special dedication to my buddy at paper graffiti, who drinks the Mac translucent kool-aid daily.

Technorati Tags: comedy, video, stand-up, Baratunde

VIDEO JOURNEY: She did WHAT??

These videos seem to be pretty popular, so let's keep it going with this one.

Question: What happens when you take a real diamond engagement ring, place it inside a very powerful high-end blender, and hit "go?"

Answer:

Technorati Tags: blendtec, abazias, diamond, blender, blend, physics

FIVE QUESTIONS

A while back, in a fit of what must have been caffeine-induced self insight, I wrote down the following questions on a Post-it note on my desk:

1. What am I doing to serve my God better?


2. What am I doing to serve my wife better? (Now I would probably add my son to this one)


3. What am I doing to serve my employer better?


4. What am I doing to serve my church better?


5. What am I doing to serve the lost better?

These things must have been sitting on my desk for the last 6 months, at least. I don't have an answer for any of them yet, but I do know that sometimes they're hard to read.

Technorati Tags: God, questions, life, better me

VIDEO JOURNEY 2: Update 3...???

Found a full version of "A Gentlemen's Duel" - watch it fast, before they bring it down!

NEW MUSIC: Mute Math

I know I promised some more video, but I'm eager to try out a new web geek toy here, and to share with you a new band I like.

I give you the sweet rock stylings of Mute Math!

Mute Math Discography from Pandora

Why you should like them:

• They're one of those crossover Christian bands, much like Switchfoot.


• In fact, their sound reminds me of Switchfoot a lot. In a very very good way.


• They're from New Orleans.

You'll like them if you like...
From Pandora's biography:

Giddily swiping ideas from several decades' worth of alternative rock, New Orleans electro-rock quartet Mute Math at times recall New Order's synth-dance epics, the shambling shuffle of the Stone Roses and the rest of the Madchester scene, the spiky chilliness of prime Radiohead, Air's serene ambient pop, and somewhat incongruously, the booming vocals of mainstream alt-rockers of the post-Eddie Vedder era.

So now let me try out this new toy I mentioned, a great site called SeeqPod. Basically it's a search engine for music on the internet, with really schnazzy player and sharing elements.

Let's see it in action! Enjoy the music!

SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search

VIDEO JOURNEY 2: A Gentlemen's Duel

Changing projects, changing jobs, changing residences - you should be glad I'm posting at all! But seriously, thanks for checking in so faithfully, good reader.

My buddies Jody and Janell of The A Team loved our previous video journey and asked for more, so I wanted to post this little 8 minute jewel from the good good folks at Blur Studios. Enjoy!

Update Part 2!:

Unfortunately, they have pulled down the full version of this video. I have no clue where or when Blur Studios will be officially releasing it, and believe me, I've tried to find out. (Note to Blur marketing - that's the kind of information you should TELL people about!)

In the meantime, here's the trailer for the animated short. I'll see if I can find some other cool video for ya later.

Update:

Had to post this one too. Great lip-dub of "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger. Would I wanna work at this company? Maybe not, but at least they can sing!

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri and Vimeo