iPods and the True Meaning of Thanksgiving

One of life's simple pleasures is rediscovering things you own.

It has been about 2 1/2 to 3 years since I last used my iPod. It's clunky in comparison to today's "touch" models or the newest iPod nanos, but still works well. With it's relatively small screen and less-than-colorful display, it's not pleasing to the eye, but I've once again found the joy in having it. I generally enjoy listening to a CD or Minnesota Public Radio News in the car, so I never use the iPod. But, sitting next to the supervisor at work, who is inundated with people walking up to her and complaining/worrying/giggling/yelling, I found that I need something to keep me focused. Enter: iPod. I spent majority of Tuesday with earbuds in place and not only did I bust out a ton of work, but I also rediscovered a band I hadn't listened to in quite some time. What band, you ask? Cake. Yeah, WTF. How could I forget about Cake? So, after listening to the latest "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" from National Public Radio, I listened to every Cake album I have.

I wish I had an action figure at work that was covered in permanent ink. It seems as though people think they can just come to my desk and mess around with the things I've brought for decoration. I mean... yes... they technically are toys, but I have them to stand there and look ominous, not for someone to stop by, test the boundaries of it's plastic joints and saunter back to their desk. I'm obviously too "Minnesota nice" to say anything while they fondle my action figures, so I need something that will teach them a lesson. If only there were some toy out there that was constantly covered in a colored permanent liquid... a squid, perhaps.

I recently saw both the new 007 movie, Quantum of Solace, as well as the Disney Animation Studios film, Bolt. For the longest time, I've been a hater. I have avoided animated films at all costs since seeing, what-I-thought-was-a-train-wreck, Ice Age. I've folded and watched The Incredibles, but before that I hadn't enjoyed an animated film since Toy Story. So, seeing Bolt was dangerous. It could've perpetuated my current distaste of animated films (note: I don't dislike animation in general. It tends to only apply to feature-length films) or worse, I could've thrown up all over the place because of the bright colors. Well, the second was more probable because I saw Bolt in 3D. The movie was good. The 3D was better and though it totally messed with my head for about 10 minutes, I got used to it and it turned out to be quite amazing. On the recommendation of Butch Roy, I will continue to watch animated films, but only on the recommendation of others. So, in my animation queue sits Monsters, Inc. and WALL-E. And for those of you waiting to hear what I thought of the new Bond flick... I liked it. That is all.

Thanksgiving happens tomorrow. I agree with the idea of a harvest festival, to celebrate the planet that gives us life, but there's something terribly wrong with celebrating it as the peaceful gathering between American Indians and Pilgrims, gnawing on eel and maize on Plymouth Rock. If you have any doubt about how awful the white man has treated the Native population over the history of America, just read about the first Angl0-Powhatan War. Basically, when the colonists realized they didn't have enough food for the Winter, they just strong-armed Natives for their corn supply. Happy Thanksgiving, right!?!?! Anyway, enjoy the time you have with your family or the family of your significant other. Eat some potatoes. They're good for you.

'til next time.

Karate Kid and the Business Process

I really enjoy a good sketch session. Today at work I drew a picture, set up in the All Valley Karate Championship arena where the final fight of Karate Kid took place. I've replaced Daniel LaRusso with a monkey and his nemesis with the foot of the Cloverfield monster. The ref has a similar mustache, but is now a Weeble people. He wobbles, but he doesn't fall down. So ridiculous, but so fun to draw.

It's all of life's little things, isn't it?

In other news, I've started reading Moore's The Watchmen again. I read it a very long time ago and remember nothing, so before the movie comes out, I want to have a good base on which to judge said film. I have a good feeling that the Nite Owl will be my favorite character after I'm done, but I have no basis for that, just a random thought.

The final installment of Hellendrung, Scott and Associates goes up at Improv-A-Go-Go this Sunday. It's been such a joy to play with Jen Scott, whom I've decided is the nicest person in the Twin Cities. It'll be a great show as this week's associate is Josh Eakright of the Brave New Workshop mainstage. 8pm. Sunday. $1.

I've never understood why communication in a workplace fails, but I've now realized that a small portion of its' failure has something to do with how our generation does not take e-mail messages as seriously as a phone call or snail mail. At work, we get long e-mails of changes in the "business process" and are expected to just learn all these changes. I'd say we get these at least once a month if not more often. Many people just skip over them, thus making it more difficult to know if you're doing anything right. I'm frustrated and in need of some beef jerkey.

A New Hope and a New Cube

In the immortal words of the band Staind, "It's been awhile."

What a joy to be back on the ol' blog. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. At work, I've moved from the training facility to a cube. I can honestly say, I've never been happier to be in a cubicle. I do know, however, that very soon, I'll be regretting ever moving to a place in which I have to be in a cube. But, for now, I'm basking in the glory. So far, I've decorated my cube with a Hellboy action figure and a Mola Ram doll. I'm contemplating several pictures, motivational posters and a Star Wars ice planet Hoth action set. Or maybe I'll just have the two. Time will tell.

In politics, Barack Obama kicked some old guy's ass to become our next President. Though I was very excited for his win, the night of the election I was saddened that our Minnesota Senatorial race had not been decided. In fact, over a week later, we are still waiting for the recount. I really do hope that Al Franken can eek this one out. Also, Keith Ellison won. Hooray!

Words and phrases I will not miss:

• maverick
• Joe Sixpack
• Joe the Plumber
• pro-America
• "Our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of."

If Sarah Palin was our Vice President-elect, I might've thought about moving.

So, I love trivia. There's no use hiding it. Whether it's running a game of trivia at work, playing trivia games online, pub trivia or watching your favorite television game show; I love trivia. As you grow older, you learn more and more through experience, but I urge others to force yourself to learn something new and have fun doing it. If you love your religion, read about other religions to give yourself a better foothold within your own faith. If you love football, read about the origin. If you love foreign cultures, learn a language. And if you're like me and love random information and the general quest for knowledge, soak up everything you can. I challenge everyone out there to pick one thing and learn all about it. I'll report on my choice soon.

My boss lent me a copy of the 1966 version of Batman. Yes, folks, we're talking Pow! Whap! Oof! Bam! Batman. Let me just read the back cover for you:

When Batman and Robin get a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission. But the tip is a set-up by four of the most powerful villains ever, who seek to defeat the Dynamic Duo once and for all! Armed with a dehydrator that can turn humans to dust, the fearsome foursome intends to take over the world! Can the Caped Crusaders use their high-flying heroism and groovy gadgetry to declaw Catwoman, ice the Penguin, upstage the Joker, and stump the Riddler in time?

Awesome. So very awesome. I love alliteration.

Hawk-Eye and Peanut Butter Franken Time

We, as human beings, take a lot for granted. I would never argue otherwise. There are things I'm thankful for, but few come close to the Hawk-Eye Officiating System.

Have you ever sat down to watch TV and found yourself watching one of four Grand Slam tournaments (Austrailian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open)? This happens to me more often than one would think. I am a tennis fan, but I rarely know about the tournaments before catching them while channel surfing at home. Hawk-Eye is that computer system they use to allow players to dispute a judges call. It tracks the path of the ball and uses the principles of triangulation through four high speed video cameras around the court. In each frame sent from each camera, the system identifies the group of pixels which corresponds to the image of the ball. It then calculates for each frame the 3D position of the ball by comparing its position on at least 2 of the physically separate cameras at the same instant in time. A succession of frames builds up a record of the path along which the ball has traveled. Amazing, right? Right. Using the laws of physics, it can also predict the future path of a ball. Crazy!

In other, less random news, I finished my first audio project on GarageBand last night. I took a pre-existing song (Peanut Butter Jelly Time!) and simply recorded my voice saying a word ("Franken") over parts (the word "Jelly") to make it hilarious (Peanut Butter Franken Time!). It was a little treat for Pegatron and the Al Franken for Senate campaign for which she works. After playing it at the morning meeting, this was the conversation via text message between Pegatron and I:

Me: So, it went well?
Pegatron: Yes, we all peed ourselves.

After receiving that text, I realized that the idea of an entire political campaign staff peeing themselves simultaneously is much funnier than any song could ever be.

Until next time...

Google and the Molting of the Exoskeleton

G'day mates.

Many would agree that Google is, perhaps, the largest and most powerful company that people really don't complain about. People knock McDonald's, Nike, Wal-Mart and many others for various reasons. I've realized that Google is generally untouchable because it never lets you down. The latest Google tool, created out of noticing search trends, is both easy to use and civic-minded. This tool allows you to type in your address and you'll immediately be told where you vote on November 4th. I had no idea where I was supposed to go before today. I assume this is the case for many 20-somethings who move on a yearly basis into the next best apartment or house. Thank you, Google.


Check out the website above (frighteningprospect.com) for free images to post around the city. This tends to be a more vicious way of getting out the vote, but whatever works. Right? It's also hilarious. I also found this quote about Palin from the New York Times' Frank Rich:

So what if she is preposterously unprepared to run the country in the midst of its greatest economic crisis in 70 years? She looks and sounds like a winner.

Another fun thing to do is to check out ecdysis. Perhaps when we were all younger, we found the abandoned exoskeleton (exuvia) of a bug and wonder what it looked like to molt. Well, I'll be damned if someone didn't capture the two-hour process and make it a little more enjoyable for the everyman with this 12-second time-lapse of the ecdysis. It's unbelievable to think that these creatures do all their growing in one or two hours after molting because their exoskeleton begins to harden.

Here's a question: Why do the 3 Musketeers wield swords? They're called musketeers. They should have muskets. A Google image search of 3 Musketeers gathers photos of men with swords and candy bars. Shouldn't they at least carry muskets, even if they only plan on using their blades? I'm bothered by this and unfortunately it's all the little things that kill. How true, Gavin Rossdale, how true.

Obama Supporters

Yay! Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for President! It's reassuring that one of the most respected Republicans in America says that Barack is more capable of handling the economic crisis and that he'd much rather have Joe Biden in the on-deck circle than Sarah Palin. That's a no brainer. Also, saw Palin on SNL. I'll give her some credit... she sat there and smiled real nice while everyone made fun of her. That may improve her standing in some group of people, but it doesn't address the fact that she's incapable of handling the Vice Presidency.

In other news, I love Photoshop. It's probably my favorite computer program. Before Photoshop, it was Nibbles. Long before people were passing time with "Snake" or "Worm" on their mobile phones, I was playing Nibbles, published by Microsoft back in '91 for MS-DOS. But, back to Photoshop. I started making some different images based on the different "groups" for Obama like "Americans Abroad for Obama" and "Latinos for Obama" or "First Americans for Obama." Here are some of the results.

I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with how well these turned out. Of course, they could always be a little better, but they're solid, overall. Good times... good times. More blogging later.

Voting and My Favorite Sites

Last week I attended a voter rights panel to watch Pegatron spread the good word. It was enthralling. I had no idea that people had problems voting. And now for a very special "Did You Know?" section of my blog.

• Did you know that felons can vote? Yes, they can! As long as they are "off paper," meaning they are not currently in prison for a felony or on probation or parole. Otherwise, vote away! You've served your time and welcome back into society. But, still... you shouldn't have done the thing you did. Seriously. Felony? *slaps wrist*
• Did you know that homeless people can vote? Yes, they can! Let's assume you live under that bridge, you can register and vote in the precinct where your bridge is. And, hey, vote Obama. John McCain only loves rich people.
• Did you know that you can register at the poll? Yes, you can! Don't be fooled by the October 14th deadline to register. You need to bring ID, though (i.e. valid MN driver's license or ID card, student ID card, registration card or fee statement, tribal ID card) "But Tim, my driver's license is expired!" Never fear! Bring that expired license AND a recent utility bill and you're good to go.
• Did you know you don't need an ID if you're registered? That's right, you don't! If the election judge asks for your ID and you're registered, tell them to buck up and read the rules. It's a crime to deceive someone about the qualifications for or restrictions on voter eligibility. Talk to your county auditor if this happens. Otherwise, you're good to go.
• Did you know someone can challenge your right to vote? Yes, those bastards can! If they do, don't worry. First ask if they're from Minnesota. Outsiders can't take that right from you. After you've made sure they're from around here, ask the election judge to give an oath and test of residency. If you answer the questions correctly, you'll be allowed to vote.
• Did you know that if you accidentally click on John McCain for President and Sarah Palin for Vice President you can exchange your ballot for a new one? Yes, you can! If you spoil a ballot, just tell the election judge. As long as you return it, you can receive another. That's a state statute.

I hope this has been thrilling. And if not, I hope it has, at the very least, been somewhat informative. Also, see Fred Beukema's blog for info on wearing political swag to the poll.

And to avoid going completely political, I'm going to list some websites I like to visit.

• GraphJam! (Funny graphs.)
• BlankIt! (Funny comic written by Aric McKeown of the Mustache Rangers.)
• The Mustache Rangers! (Funny Podcast with Aric [see above] and Corey Anderson.)
• Exploding Dog! (Stick figures, robots and dogs drawn from your sentences.)
• Archie McPhee! (Stupid things you can buy, but wouldn't if you were fiscally responsible.)
• Minnesota Trial Court Public Access! (Wanna see if your friends and relatives have been ticketed or put on trial? Just go to Judgements Search.)
• Hulu! (Watch pretty much any TV show you've ever wanted to, for free.)
• Minneapolis Improv Boards! (Talk about improv in Minneapolis. Or not.)

Good day to you, sir.