No Shots Fired
Porsche Post
Thanks, Jackie, for hooking all this up!
California Festival of Speed
Cup Car Street Racing
911 GT3 Cup Street Racing
Jay Leno Set Me On Fire
But we did have some fun with the torch while shooting some stuff for Fast Lane Daily.
Production Quality
Everything will be fine...
Happy New Year
Great party. The hot tub is still draining.
Netscape's Dead
Yes, the last 4 or 5 years of Netscape development have been less than stellar, and the obvious need in the market place has been filled by Firefox, but the symbolic destruction of Netscape at the hands of my former employ… It's just sad.
We'll miss you, Nutscrape, and your fishcam.
Merry Christmas
So, taking a lesson from the book of Fred, I've re-written "'Twas The Night Before Christmas". But it's not the first time I did it. In 1986, I wrote it for the Porsche Club newsletter. See, even I only have a few tricks.
Merry Christmas!
Basshunter
I'm also impressed that the folks doing business in that space are so progressive. The label making the download available before the in-store release. Just so fun. And smart.
Thanks Michael, for passing this track along.
Human Statue of Liberty
…and yes, it's real.
Happy Thanksgiving
Sometimes I wonder about my life. And
not the good kind of wondering about the magic of possibilities,
but the band kind of "what the hell am I doing?".
2 years ago, VOD Cars ran this Super Bowl Special. I figured that not many people
had seen it and we should resurrect is for Fast Lane Daily. You
know, "Go Eat a Turkey" or something... really easy. Ian could have
a day off and Derek D. could go see his family (assuming they have
not disowned him.
Well, it didn't quite work out that way and, well, the guys decided
that they'd rather work than take the easy road out and we're left
with this steaming pile of... funny:
Seriously, guys, way over the top but I laughed so hard that gravy came out of my nose. Funny thing is, I was not eating gravy at the time.
Anyway, if you want, you can download the MP3 here.
Elwood Edwards
Who is this tool?
That's Jon Jackson.
The guy next to him on the left with the green shirt is a very
famous guy, Elwood Edwards.
Elwood Edwards is an American voice over actor. He is best known as
the voice of the Internet service provider America Online, which he
first recorded in 1989. His greetings include "Welcome," "You've
got mail," "You've got pictures," "File's done," and "Goodbye." In
1989, Edwards's wife overheard online service Q-Link CEO Steve Case
describe how he wanted to add a voice to its user interface. In
October Edwards's voice premiered on AOL's new program.
His voice has also appeared in an episode of The Simpsons (where he
provided the voice of a virtual doctor, saying "You've got leprosy"
and "Goodbye"), and in advertising for the movie You've Got
Mail.
Coward!
The coward never on himself relies, but to the pawns for
assistance flies.
Crossed the Border!
PS: Did you know that the official name of Mexico is The United States of Mexico?
Goin' To Mexico
For those of you that don't know, we're running the race in the GT3.
Feel free to follow along for the next few days on the La Carrera Blog.
Happy Halloween
Formula1 in Brazil? Anyone?
As it stands right now, Lewis has 104 points and Kimi has 100 points. It's a long shot, yes, but Kimi could take it home in Brazil.
Anyone want to go to Brazil to watch the race?
La Carrera Panamericana
Welcome Olivia Newton Jane
Muller
• Crying
• Sleepless nights (but not too many)
• Dirty diapers
• Occasional puking
• Predisposition to liking Pizza (Odd, I know.)
• Not seeing Jay or Stefana for a long, long time...
The Italian Sun
After a long, wonderful day of sight seeing, cave swimming, and shopping we hopped in the boat and headed home to Furore for dinner. We made it just in time to beat an unseasonably strong thunder storm.
Here's the sunset that shows the sky turning on us...
For more pics from Italy, check out my Flickr.
Top Ten Things I Learned in Italy
For me, it never really made sense.
First of all, from the earliest of ages in the secular Christian
schools we attended (which I'm not complaining about), we were not
really allowed to talk about our differences. We were focused on
our similarities and the things that joined us all in the
brotherhood of man. We did not celebrate our diversity. I think all
of that homogenization of culture was a side effect of really
focusing on race equality, which we learned in the form of
tolerance. But shouldn't that have been acceptance? Second, no one
from our family would brave the 9 hour flight from JFK to...
anywhere on the other side of the Atlantic. Italy is not Mars. You
can go there. Rather easily. So if we're not gonna make the effort
to go have a look around and experience it first hand it cannot be
that important. Third, there's really no data on what thing were
like for the family back in the old country. At least not that I
have access to. And if they hopped on a boat to leave, things could
not have been all that great. So why are we remembering hardships
with fondness? Next, how come the family construct does not
reiterate what we learned in school? Shouldn't we be proud to be
Americans like so many country & western crooners suggest?
Finally, the manifestation of Italian culture in the United States
has lead to some really ridiculous things. Things that I see no
sign of here. Which pleases me to no end. So, as you can see,
nationalization and heritage for me has been the clouded by many
mixed signals.
Whatever.
In any event, I've realised during this
most recent trip to Italy, several things about Italy that I wish I
learned sooner. Allow me to share them here with you:
10: Slow Down. Getting there is half the fun, so
take your time. If you need your coffee to go, you're doing it
wrong. If a 3 hour meal is a problem, you're with the wrong people
or your priorities are off-balance. True, these are the same people
that bring some of the fastest cars in the world, but that didn't
come by not taking time to stop and enjoy all the small moments of
life.
9: There are no Green White and Red mylar
anything. I hate going to Little Italy. Only because of
the gaudy and tacky American-designed Italian iconography. In
America, when you think of Italian design you think of expensive
clothes and cheap Green White and Red banners, streamers, and
stickers shaped like "the boot". I'm pleased to say that none of
that iconography exists in Italy and you're quickly reminded of
classical architecture, contemporary design, sculpture, leather,
marble, and God.
8: Happiness is not being Italian. Happiness is
being. Sit down. Enjoy your figs. Take comfort in the rain. Engulf
the vista. Don't stress that the boat is late. If you don't do it
today, you can do it tomorrow. Have a coffee. Don't worry about it.
Experience your passion. Learn your art. Craft your mind and your
soul. Work hard. Live richly. But do it all to be happy.
7: The letter 'R' really is missing. One of the
few things that I dislike about being New York is the way we speak.
Well, the way some of us speak. In italy, just like New York, they
tend to omit the letter R from words unless it's really, really
important... and then it's the focus of the whole word. It's odd,
but you'll know wnat I'm talking about when you experience
it...
6: Seafood is ok. I'm not one to order fish at an
Italian restaurant. It just doesn't work well in the United
States... at least in the butter-infused, red-sauce-laden.
franchese-based places I used to frequent as "Italian cuisine".
(That was before I met Noto). After this trip, I cannot imagine
eating anything but the most amazing seafood from Italian
restaurants.
5: Italy is not really a country. I mean, it is
technically, but the regions are so individualized that not even
food means the same thing from place to place. Bolognese in Bologna
is very different than Bolognese in Naples. Go to a bunch of
different places and get some pizza, You'll really be surprised at
just how different things can be from place to place... (This is
not just limited to food. It also applies to traffic laws,
television, signs, shoe sizes, prices... everything.)
4: Masonry is important. I have a few friends in
New York who are Masons. They talk alot about practicing the craft.
When you look around the country from big cities like Rome, Genoa,
and Naples to small towns like Capri, Furore, and Praiano, you see
the sheer power of the masons of old. And what they must have meant
to the generations that came before.
3: Listening skills are overrated. I used to think
that it was my parents that didn't listen. Then, I thought it
applied to my whole family. Then, I figured it was all Italians.
And you know what? I'm wrong. It's not that people don't listen,
it's that they want you to have better for yourself. "Do you want
one of these figs?" someone might ask. "No thanks." you might say,
having already eaten 2. "Here, take..." will be the reply. Not
because they're not listening, but because they want better for you
than you want for yourself. Or that would be the theory.
2: The "P" word: Passion. It's all about passion.
Ferrari spends a lot of time talking about passion and you can see
it in what they do. In Italy, if you're going to do something, you
better be passionate about it and if you have no passion for
something, don't do it. Passion is present almost everywhere in
Italy. You can see it everywhere, and when it's not... you really
see it.
1: Italian Drivers Do It Right. I've been to a few
places across the globe and seen some pretty screwed up traffic
scenarios and interesting driving conditions. In Italy, they do it
right. Follow these rules and you'll drive like a pro in Italy: 1)
What's behind you is not important. 2) The pedestrians will move
out of your way. 3) If it's bigger than you, it has the right of
way. 4) Be mindful of restaurants in the right lane. (No really. In
Positano, the right lane of the low-road has a RESTAURANT in
it.)
Next Stop: Praiano
I uploaded a few photos to Flickr, so go check them out.
Next stop, Praiano...
Photography 101: With and Without Flash
Formula1 Driver Kid Photos
I wish there were more, better Formula1 content on the web. Maybe, OneShot will publish publicly....
Driving in Mexico
Here are some useful tips for driving in Mexico:
• There are no warning street signs. The first sign you see with an arrow that points to the right indicating the street that you want... it's not a warning. That's it. Make the turn. At any and all costs. Because there are NO U-Turns!
• If you are heading south on Baja, you want the 1 or the 1D. The 1D is a toll road. So make sure you have money handy. Also, roads that say "Ensenada Cuota" means this road goes to Ensenada and you'll have to pay tolls.
• In Tijuana, EVERY road leads to Ensenada. Don't worry if you miss the first turn...
Oh, and if you're heading to Ensenada, here's a helpful map. Just hit the 1 or the 1D highway, south...
Just be careful not to run in to these punks.
1,000,000 Miles
That means I've flown over 1,000,000 miles with American since I joined the "AAdvantage" program in 1995. It's a momentus day. Perhaps an infamous day, if you are not a fan or American Airlines. Personally, I like them. The planes are quiet. They do an excellent job of keeping children out of First & Business Class. The flight attendants are excellent bar tenders. They leave mostly on time. They arrive mostly on time. Their lounges are comfy. And their baggage claim staff at Charles DeGaulle Airport are the best.
For what it's worth, I figure that I passed 1,000,000 miles flown about 5 years ago. If I add up all my mileage as part of all the frequent flyer programs I'm enrolled in, I figure the 1,000,000 life-time miles mark was achieved in 2002 after my first trip to Tokyo. That includes 200,000 miles on United, 175,000 miles on Continental, 100,000 miles on the Trump/US-Air/Delta Shuttle... and a few other stragglers like British Airways, Northwest, and Jet Blue.
I'd like to thank America Online, Victoria's Secret, and MTV Networks for paying for most of those tickets.
Mix Yourself a Ferrari
Here's what you'll need:
• Dry vermouth (try Martini Extra Dry, whose maker happens to sponsor the Scuderia)
• Amaretto (we'd recommend Disaronno)
• A twist of lemon
• Ice
• An "old-fashioned" glass (also known as a "tumbler")
Pour two ounces of dry vermouth and one ounce of amaretto into the tumbler over ice, stir well, twist the lemon peel over the glass and drop it in. Enjoy. Repeat. Just don't enjoy before actually driving a Ferrari, or any other car for that matter.
Tips: For a sweeter mix, use more amaretto; for a drier taste, more vermouth. Alternative recipes call for adding Angostura Bitters as well.
iPartition is my GOD
Enter iPartition.
I first ran in to iPartition when I cracked open my Apple TV to drop a larger drive in to it. It's probably the best partition management tool on any OS ever. Full GUI. Complete technical details. And tons of features... I thought that it might be able to help me out of this jam, and I was right.
I fired it up, inspected my boot partition, saw a check box for "Case Sensitive" on my partition details screen. Of course, since I booted the machine with this partition, I could not make changes. I rebooted in to target disk mode, connected to the iMac in the other room, opened iPartition... BLAM!
All is well with the world... and I've gotten my Creative Suite installed.
Oh, and memo to Adobe, you should think about putting a compatibility warning on your retail box.
Dear Tekserve…
Dear Tekserve,
Thanks for fixing my computer this morning. Granted, all I needed was an installation of Mac OSX on my Intel Core 2 Duo powered MacBook Pro, but seriously... Thanks. Apple wanted me to wait for replacement OS discs to be sent to me. Could you imagine? Waiting? The nerve of them!
While I was in your shop for over 2 hours, I noticed something. Something that I think you might not realize, so I'll point it out here.
I wanted to purchase the following things:
• 8GB "Firefly" Jump Drive
• Pack of 16 DVD+R DL Blank Discs
• Shure headphones
• iPod Video case
But your store... it doesn't work like other stores. For each of those items, I would have needed a separate ticket of a different color. Noone would talk to me without a ticket... so I spent my time in your shop waiting. And not spending money.
So sad...
Al Fin Calamari
It'll all be worth it when that new office building opens!
Animal Pictures
And these two are re-enacting their favourite Mortal Kombat moves:
Widgets
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Now-a-days, it's called a "decentralized widget strategy". Back then, we called it "Being Useful"
The Transformers
In short, Transformers was a great film. Go see it.
Resurgence of the Bald Eagle
That bald Eagle is pretty cool, but the real question is: Does he have an iPhone?
Latest iPhone Photos
Another meeting in my kitchen.
Fleeing from the beach traffic...
Leaving Edward's Airforce Base
iPhone Purgatory - Tips for Activation
While the Apple part of the iPhone experience has been widely reported as typical Apple goodness, The AT&T experience has been widely reported as typical AT&T bullshit. Uninformed store clerks. Uninformed telephone support staff. Forced bundling at retail (ie: You MUST buy accessories or you cannot buy an iPhone). Price gouging of wireless plans. You get the idea.
Then there's the heinous delay in activation and porting of numbers. Again, the rumours are swirling. AT&T systems were down for 12 hours on Saturday. AT&T porting center office was closed on Saturday and Sunday. Other carriers are "slow to release" old numbers, etc. I'm not sure why anyone expected it to go smooth. Afterall, why would a telegraph company be able to deal with this kind of high technology? (That second 'T' in AT&T stands for Telegraph)
Both Engadget and Gizmodo have articles on the activation woes. And apparently, less than half of readers polled by Engadget have had a pleasant, Apple-like experience with their service and activation:
Don't worry, friends. If you're still
having activation problems, I've got some hints and tips for you.
Get your order number from iTunes and let your fingers do the
walking:
- First of all, the iPhone activation hotline is +1 (877) 800 3701. Don't call that number. You're likely to be on hold for a VERY long time before anyone ever answers. And they won't tell you anything except to "Keep waiting."
- To check the status of the transfer of a phone number using the automated system, call +1 (888) 898 7685 punch in the number you're waiting on. It'll tell you in almost plain English where your number is in the transfer process.
- AT&T's got a semi-secret 1-Ring-to-Answer customer service number. That number is +1 (877) 419 4500. They're very friendly. But not hugely informative.
- The mother-lode is the Synchronos Center. These are the people that know what's going on. Has your old carrier released the number? Has the activation hit the network? Has there been some snafu along the way? They know it all. +1 (877) 800 3701. Then hit option 3.
Hello, iPhone
Yes, that's right, fair reader. Jesus Phone can blog. I'm blogging with it right now. See how easy that virtual keyboard is to use? Feels like I'm typing nothing at all! Also, inserting images using the built in camera is a snap. Here. Take a look at this action shot from a meeting I had in my kitchen a few minutes ago:
You may think that calling the iPhone "Jesus Phone" may be marginally, if not completely, sacrilegious. Well, let me assure you that I've thought long and hard about this and include some helpful comparisons for you between these sons of gods.
| Jesus | Jesus Phone | |
| Birth Place | Nazareth (Dry, Hot) | Cupertino (Dry, Hot) |
| Mother | Mary (Mother of God) | Steve (God of Geeks) |
| Occupation | Builder (Carpentry/Religion) | Builder of Hype |
| Best Miracle | Resurrection (From Death) | Resurrection of the Mobile Industry |
| Legacy | Christianity | Mac Users |
| Claim to Fame | Son of God | Son of God (Orphan) |
As you can see, it's very easy to confuse these Earth charged deities. While respect and admiration for the two is obviously deserved... worship, on the other hand, should be reserved for one of them.
In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrast.
Good Bye, Motorola
When it came time for me to start purchasing cell phones, I went the Motorola route. I had a Motorola flip phone. A MicroTAC. A MicroTAC Elite (one of my favourites). A StarTAC (with LED display). A StarTAC (with LCD display). A Razor. A black Razor. A blue Razor V3i. A red Razor V3i. A gold Razor V3i. A blue Krzr. A black Krzr. (There may have been a short lived Nokia and Sony Ericsson flirtation somewhere between
StarTAC LCD and the first Razor...)
As time went on, cell phone revisions came more quickly and my desire to hack the phones to, you know, make them suck less, rose. My current phone, the black Krzr has a HEAVILY modified firmware courtesy of: Yours truly.
Tomorrow, a new dawn begins on the mobile phone landscape globally. Yes, the iPhone. Not because the phone is such a revolutionary game changing piece of hardware (although, that is part of it) but because it will, for the first time, open the Internet on hand held devices to entrepreneurs that will be unrestricted by mobile carriers. Thank you, Apple. But, with every dawn, there's a sunset. This sunset ends my brand loyalty to Motorola. Sorry, grandpa
.
Without further pontification, from the
home office in West Hempstead NY, the Top Ten things I will NOT
miss from the days of my Motorola Razors...
10: Always being asked if it's "ok" to go online.
9: Always being informed, with great delay, how many bytes were
transferred after going online.
8: Slow to respond number entry when trying to dial. How hard is
this to make work right?
7: Having to press the center button 6 times to get to my
inbox.
6: Waiting for Java. (Memo to Sun: Give it up.)
5: "Message Too Long! Message Truncated!" Wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait...
4: WAP Decks controlled by "the man".
3: Expensive replacement cartridges (Oh wait, that's what I'll NOT
miss about Gilette Razor...)
2: iTap. iHate you.
1: Unbearably slow call waiting controls.
Mika Brzezinski Is My New Hero
Carrera GT Seats
Holy Trinity Diocesan High School
Memo to Dick Parsons
This is the LAST TIME I will ever let television disappoint me ever again. Ever.
I knew this in 1989. You should know it, too.
The creators of the format pronounce GIF with a soft "g", as in "George". According to the creator of the GIF format, Steve Wilhite, the pronunciation deliberately echoes that of an American peanut butter brand, Jif, and the employees of CompuServe would often say "Choosy developers choose GIF", spoofing this brand's television commercials. This pronunciation was also identified by CompuServe in their documentation of a graphics display program [Probably one of the best ever written] called CompuShow.
Many people pronounce the name with a hard "g" (as in "Graphics"), and both pronunciations are given as correct by the Oxford English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary. but those guys are a bunch of ass clowns who studied poetry and struggle for pop-culture relevance for some reason.
I Call BULLSHIT
More on Fast Lane Daily
Follow the Saga:
Ferrari's 60th Anniversary
On Saturday, March 31st 60 of Ferrari's customers in the Northeast met at Tavern on the Green in New York City for a Relay to Washington DC. We had a police escort through New York City, a leisurely drive to the Winterthur Estate in Delaware, a second leisurely drive through to Embassy Row and finally a wonderful reception at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC.
This was a great event. I met a great group of owners (owners that actually DRIVE their cars). And had a few laughs along the way...
After the reception, David, Ally, Jessy, and I went to Bebo in Crystal City. I was shocked to find one of the most amazing restaurants I've ever been to in an area that was kind of nothing when I last lived in DC.
Thanks to:
- Ferrari Maserati of Central New Jersey
- Detailing Dynamics
- Ferrari North America
- Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta and the Italian Embassy
- Roberto Donna and Bebo
- The Four Seasons
- Jackie Bailey
- e46 Fanatics (for breaking up their photo)
- The Quilting Group at Winterthur (I thought it was an oil rag)
- The Secret Service (Who knew you guys wrote speeding tickets?)
- Cellular 911 Operators of the North East (I wasn't even there)
- Detailing Dynamics (The car is in need of treatment...)
Universal Remote Software
Glen Club Fire
Rensing Told Me So!
Contact
- Electronic Mail
- Instant Message
- SMS
- Live
- Telephone
- Voicemail
Eye of Sauron
Here's a reproduction of the Eye of Sauron reproduced by a Tesla coil.
Anyone got any info on where this pic came from?
Evita, London 2007
Of course, the leading men were fantastic, too. Matt Rawle and Philip Quast as Che and Peron, respectively, were wonderful and performed wonderfully along side Elena. However to my "colonial" ears, their very pronounced British accents were a tad distracting.
A few production photos:
And one from my camera phone:
Go see this show.
Roy’s Guide to a London Weekend
Recently (as in, an hour from now) I had to take a very last minute trip to London. I’ve been to London several times and I truly enjoy it. It’s a fantastic city. So much to see. So different. So comfortable.
Roy knows how to shop. Believe me. For a hetero-sexual man, he's got fantastic taste and knows how to spend a few quid.
I called him and said, "I'm leaving for London in 3 hours. I'm staying at the St. Martin's Lane. What should I do while I'm here" He replied with this list.
First of all, you have a great concierge. Use them. Good for just about everything, very friendly. They can get you into dinners, plays or anything else. Tip twenty pounds or so when you leave.
Shopping
- St. Martin’s Accessories - Car Models. Located across the street from the hotel. Closed Sunday.
- Motorbooks International - Car Books. Across the street from the hotel and one block north, down the alley in the middle of the block.
- John Pearse - Tailor. Meard Street Soho. This is my rock and roll tailor with the narrow handpainted ties and cool shirts. Tell them you are my friend.
- Henri Llloyd - Sailing and Casual Sportswear. Carnaby Street. Exclusive carry the Oracle BMW collection. But great casual wear.
- Connolly - Leather goods. Conduit Street. They make the seats your Rolls. Also great gloves, jackets and other accessories.
- Harvey Nichols - Department Store. This store is located a block away from Harrods. It is the Bergdorf Goodmans of London. Hip men’s stuff in the basement, cool women’s stuff throughout the store.
- Bill Amberg - Leather. Located in Notting Hill. This is the new generation of London leather bags, belts and accessories.
- J.G. Cleaverly - Shoes. Handmade shoes. Argued the best in London. Also some off the rack. Located in one of the “arcades” right off of Bond Street and Saville row (might be the Burlington Arcade).
Guides
- Time Out Weekly London - Buy it here or at either airport. List what bands are playing, what clubs are hot, what plays are cool.
- British GQ - Not the same as US, good guide of very interesting stuff throughout London.
Food
- Nobu London - If you want to go, call your contact. You know what to do!
- Yo! Sushi - If you make it to Harvey Nichols, go to the food hall on the top of store. It's conveyor belt sushi bar on the roof. A ton of fun.
A Few Other Things...
- Tate Modern - Unbelievable Museum. No museum in the world like this space. Also check out if anything good on at the Serpentine in Hyde Park and Royal Academy.
- Pret Manager - Sandwiches. All over the place. Way better than in 'merica.
- Itsu - Sushi. Down by Brompton Cross in South Kensington on the corner of Walton Street.
- Wagamma - Noodle Bar. All over the place. There's one near St. Martin's Lane and in Harvey Nichols.
- Josephs - Men's Store. South Kensington
- Selfridges - Men's Store. South Kensington.
- Paul Smith - Men's Store. Nottinghill Gate
Walk the Kings Road - start at Sloane Square and walk down to Bluebird Cafe (have a coffee). Shops along the way. For you and Keri. Tell them at the Bluebird you want to see the Club for possible membership - all about the Bluebird Car!!!
Upgrading to Vista
C'mon Microsoft. You can beat them.
Maybe in 2012?
While trying to determine which of the approximately 900 versions of Vista is right for me, I found this from the Joy of Tech.
I've laughed, but I've not solved my problem. Which version of Vista is right for me? Anyone have any ideas?
Fire at the Trinity Deli
Fortunately enough for me, my High School was located within detention distance from the school. This, of course, stopped no one from going there every day for lunch. Sometimes twice a day if you stayed late for some after-school activity. Sometimes three times a day if you also needed drugs.
My sources (Thanks, Glen) tell me that the Trinity Deli recently burned in a suspicious 3:00am fire. Thankfully noone was hurt and DiMaggio's Pizza (no relation) right next door was only superficially damaged.
Oh well, another day in the life of the good people of Hicksville and the kids of Holy Trinity High School. I can only hope that the kids have found a new place to get their drugs.
Tim Shey
Tim Shey is a graduate of The George Washington University. He studied more math than he cares to admit, even though he graduated with an English degree. Sure, all the painting and sculpting classes were therapeutic and essential to developing he creative prowess, but that didn’t help with his calculus attendance. (but we don’t talk about that)
While Tim was finishing his degree, others of us (ie. most of us) had dropped out to take temp jobs at a small online services company in Virginia. When Tim and his business partner Patrick started a company instead of joining the triangle, we were shocked. Not because he chose a more entrepreneurial path, but because we didn't think that art-boy Tim knew anything about the interactive space.
Boy were we wrong.
Proteus by Tim and his business partner Patrick wAas founded in 1996. It was was one of the first interactive development firms in Washington, D.C. It quickly evolved from web development to interactive services development to mobile development. Their early work with OmniPoint secured them an early victory for both the client and their reputation of doing something fun and out-of-the box without being pointlessly bleeding edge.
In January 2002, Shey and Proteus developed and produced the first U.S. television broadcast to feature live interactive voting using mobile phones for FOX Sports' Super Bowl XXXVI broadcast. Proteus went on to develop many other interactive television events, including ABC's The View: His and Her Body Test, which was nominated for the first ever primetime Emmy Award for interactive television. Shey was influential in the development of mobile content offerings for HBO, ABC, and FOX Latin America.
Tim has been a featured blogger for The Huffington Post. In early 2006, Shey did a stint as managing producer of Rocketboom, where he worked with Andrew Baron and Amanda Congdon to develop their advertising and business strategy. Tim's been a friend to the videoblogging community ever since, and helped Amanda produce her videoblog Amanda Across America this summer.
It's an impressive list of accomplishments and "firsts". but the thing you know Tim for is that whole Nike thing. Remember that? It's the stuff Urban Legends are made of. In early 2001, he posted an email correspondence that his friend Jonah Peretti had with Nike's customer service department to his personal blog, which Jonah also emailed to ten of his friends. The e-mails quickly spread worldwide through email and web links in the following months, eventually causing Nike to respond with an on-air debate with Peretti on The Today Show. To this day, they are a frequently cited early example of the power of contagious media to spread activist ideas.
Personally, I tell people that Tim invented viral marketing. He could have. He's that good.
The Latest News from Entertainment Asylum
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Merry Christmas
His dad kind of warped his mind when he was young and impressionable by putting up Christmas lights. A ridiculous amount of Christmas lights. An insane amount of Christmas lights. A we're-out-of-electricity-in-the-northeast because of the amount of Christmas lights they would out on their house.
Now, many years later, my cousin lives in Florida. And, well, old habits die hard, I suppose...
Best Sci-Fi Scene Ever
The new Battlestar Galactica is probably the best thing on television. Sadly, because it's "SciFi" it'll probably go unwatched by you '2 cool for school' punks...
Places to go In Japan
Ginza
Bic Camera
A trip to one of Bic’s towering tech stores is the equivalent of a one-stop tour through the world of Japan’s cutting-edge gadgetry. 1-11-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-5221-1111. Open daily 10am-9pm. Nearest stn: Yurakucho.
Sony Building
Gadget geeks and video freaks can spend hours in this six-story Sony showcase. Limited products sold in the basement. 5-3-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 03-3573-2371. Open daily 11am-7pm. Nearest stn: Ginza.
Mitsukoshi
Dubbed “the Harrods of Tokyo,” Mitsukoshi is the country’s oldest department store. 4-6-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 03-3562-1111. Open daily 10am-8pm. Nearest stn: Ginza.
Hakuhinkan Toy Park
This tower of toys has one of the best selections of video games, jigsaw puzzles, Japanese dolls and teddy bears. 8-8-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 03-3571-8008. Open daily 11am-8pm. Nearest stn: Shinbashi.
Akihabara
Super Potato
A graveyard of old video games: forgotten consoles, cartridges and goofy handheld portables discarded from the ’80s. 3F Kitanayashi Bldg, 1-11-2 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-5289-9933. Open Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm. www.superpotato.com
Akky International
This chain of electronics stores has three branches in Akihabara that offer support in English, Chinese and Portuguese. Stores are packed with foreign-ready home electronics and travel goods. Their selection includes Windows computers and laptops with English OS, as well as watches, cameras and suitcases. 1-12-1 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-5207-5027. Open daily 10am-8pm.
Mai-Foot
Reflexology from girls dressed as French maids. You are expected to keep up a conversation with the knowledgeable maids, predictably revolving around anime, manga and games, as they work. For „3,000 you’ll get a half hour of foot and hand massage and a complimentary after-beverage. 3F Suzuki Bldg, 3-1-3, Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-3253-1113. Open daily 11am-9pm. www.mai-foot.com
Shibuya
Shibuya 109
This temple to teenybopper fashion explains why Shibuya girls are all identically dressed. Ten floors of slight variations on the trend du jour. Sizes run small. 2-29-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3477-5111. Open daily 10am-9pm.
Parco
The dominant department store operator in Shibuya caters mostly to the area's teenage shopping nuts, although Parco Part 1 has more for grown-ups and some good restaurants. 15-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3464-5111. Open daily 10am-9pm (restaurants until midnight).
Shinjuku
Don Quijote
Don Quijote has the lowest prices imaginable, any time of day or night. The hard part is keeping your cool inside the cramped store overflowing with cheap goods and bargain hunters. 1-16-5 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5291-9211. Open 24 hours.
Harajuku
Kiddy Land
A six-floor Nirvana for the young and the young at heart. All the latest games, figures and wacky contraptions. 6-1-9 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3409-3431. Open daily 10am-9pm. Nearest stn: Meiji-Jingumae.
Roppongi
Absolut Icebar Tokyo
The thermostat at the Swedish vodka company’s Tokyo bar, made entirely of ice, is set permanently at -5șC. Patrons are limited to 45-minute visits and reservations are accepted online. 4-2-4 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5464-2161. Open daily 5pm-midnight. www.icebartokyo.com
Bar Matrix
Just like the movie of the same name, this bar is sleek and forceful with its metallic interior and thumping DJ sets featuring a mix of reggae, rock, trance, hip-hop and R&B. Happy hour is from 6-10pm and the draft beer and wide selection of cocktails flow all night long. B1 Wind Roppongi Bldg, 3-13-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3405-1066. Open daily 6pm-late. www.matrixbar.jp
Safety Tip: Japanese Phrases
1. Ohayou (Gozaimasu) /Good morning
2. Konnichiwa /Good afternoon
3. Konbanwa /Good evening
4. Oyasumi (Nasai)/Good night
5. (Domo) Arigatou (Gozaimasu)/Thank you very much
6. Dou Itashimashite/You’re welcome
7. Gomen (Nasai)/I’m sorry
8. Sumimasen/Excuse me, Sorry
9. Daijyoubu (desu)/It’s alright
10. Hajime Mashite/Nice to meet you
11. Watashi wa…/I am…
12. Genki (Desuka)? /How are you? (Are you doing well?)
13. Hai, Genki Desu /Yes, I’m doing well.
14. Anata ha? / How about you?
15. Iie/ No
16. Doumo/Hi, Hey
17. Moshi Moshi/Hello (on the phone only)
This information comes courtesy of our new friend, Yuu. (Not me. Or you. Yuu.)
F430 Flame Out
So sick...
I hate being sick.
Bullrun 2006: Complete
Update: I hear the Michigan Attorney General is looking for me. You can contact my lead motor vehicle counsel.
Ghosts on the Queen Mary
Of the 371 pictures I took yesterday, only 2 are interesting:
Picture 1: With a Flash
Picture 2: Without a Flash
Do you see what I see?
When worlds collide...
BSG Spoiler
MySpace can be a source of countless hours of amusement. Socially mal-adjusted children, porn stars, lonely geeks all aggregate in the same corner of the intarweb. So, when I came across these BSG spoilers for season 3, I decided to immediately declare them to be true and post them on my site.
What do you think:
They accidentally discover a habitable planet deep in a nebula that interferes with DRADIS, so its virtually undetectable. Baltar wins the election and becomes president, and decides they're going to settle on this planet, but just as they start to colonize, Cloud 9 mysteriously explodes (it was the nuke that was given to the Pegasus copy of Six), and Adama fears it was a Cylon bombing... then we cut to commercial, then see the caption, "One Year Later..."
That's right, we actually lose an entire year between commercials
So they're all settled down on this planet, "New Caprica", they've all been living down there for a year... most of the military have retired, and its pretty much just skeleton crews left aboard Galactica and Pegasus. colonel Tigh is the last to go and he and Ellen go to live on the planet.
Then the Cylons show up... show up bigtime. Adama freaks out and Galactica, Pegasus, and the few civilian ships left in orbit jump away. There's only 5,000 of them, 42,000 are down on the planet...
The Cylons meet with Baltar and Baltar announces to the people that this world is now under Cylon control, Cylon religious teaching will begin and the women are required to submit to breeding experiments. To be continued.
Yup, just about all our regulars are down there... Adama is aboard Galactica and Lee is in command of Pegasus.
Venice Digital Media Society
Christmas Boat Parade, Newport Beach
Earthquake!
Today, June 16th at about 1:55pm, we had an earthquake that measured 5.3 on the Richter scale.
I
was on the phone with Fred in my office and the ground started to
shake. No big deal. Kind of like when a truck rolls down Murray
Street and you're in your 5th floor loft. No big deal. Then the
shaking got more violent, Kind of like when the 7th Avenue Express
flys out of the Chambers Street Station and you're having lunch
upstairs at The Odeon. (And we all know what that's like!) Then it
got kind of scary. The computer monitors and the desk started
shaking. A picture slid off the cabinet across the room. My pens
fell on to the dog who started barking...
And just as I was about to jump up and yell "Earthquake! Protect
the Lambo! Protect the Lambo!" ... it stopped.
So, that's that. They preempted Jerry Springer (and every other
show on TV) with the graphic to the left. I'll be headed out to the
beach in a few. As soon as Fred stops yacking!
For more info on teh quake, check out the local NBC News Affiliate
