Ploafmaster General

Looks like you'll still be able to order pints in merry-old England. That's good, because "Gimme a half-litre of lager" doesn't exactly roll of the tongue.

Thanks to Gary Vay-ner-chuk for this one...

It would seem that the New England Patriots like to spy on other teams. Sounds pretty shady if you ask me, and I sure hope it's not true, but if this is for real then the Pat's reputation as a squad that's excellent because of pure execution and teamwork could be fairly well tarnished.

Yeah, Trey, it was your link in Twitter that borked my instance of Firefox :-)

It reminded me of something else, though - I have absolutely no idea, most of the time, what the links are that I see in Twitter messages when folks use TinyURL to fit their finds into that brief 140 character space. Had I known that Trey's link would take me to a page that contained embedded QuickTime (and as a fan of Apple's movie trailer page, I'd have known), I could have held off until I was at home (or, GASP! used IE...).

This got me thinking - is there any way that you could improve TinyURL so viewers could know in advance where they were clicking? More folks than just myself browse from highly restrictive corporate networks, and I inhale a sharp breath every time I see that "restricted content" page here in the office (they claim to be logging the incident...but I've never been contacted).

So I surfed to TinyURL's site to double check the process for creating the contracted resource locators, and lo! you have the option to provide a preview URL. Sure, this preview link creates an extra step for the casual web surfer, but it's certainly safer than blindly clicking links.

Where do we go from here? Well, I wish Twitterrific provided a choice in the preferences to use a standard TinyURL or a preview URL instead of only using the standard TinyURL. But there's part of me that doesn't want the browsing experience broken in such a way. What I really want is some sort of tool tip when you hover over the link - something that provides a short description, or perhaps the full URL. Of course, not being a web developer, I don't know how to accomplish this without using some sort of script.

Any ideas? I think this is a useful itch to scratch.

I'm sure it's a consequence of the unique amalgam of running applications, Firefox extensions and plug-ins, and my nasty Win2k OS and not a problem with QuickTime. Really.

But here's the deal...on this revolting work PC of mine, Firefox crashes shortly after I open any file that defaults to QuickTime. That'd be any .MOV or .MP3 files on my 'puter. It's driving me bonkers.

Yeah, I know...I'm not really supposed to use Firefox on my computer at work - it's not "officially supported."

Yeah, I know...I'm not really supposed to be browsing the internet at work - it's "unproductive."

Yeah, I know...I'm not really supposed to be downloading/streaming videos and music at work - it's "preventing me from killing myself out of boredom."

I found this gem via Coudal Partners' website (pardon some harsh language later on):
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKKtATfASY&w=425&h=350]

This short film is like an amplified version of how my mind works. Sigh.

Apple announced this morning that it sold it's one millionth iPhone over the weekend. That's just crazy astounding, especially considering the sales were essentially limited to the US market. I'm sure the ever imminent European deals will expand sales even further, and the sure-to-come next versions (and likely cheaper versions) will push the sales figures higher even than Apple's goal.

Either way, it's rather difficult for the anti-Apple set to call this device a failure anymore :-)

The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.
- AA Milne

Today is like a holiday to me. Today is the season opener for the NFL Football season.

I'll be glued to the tube for the pre-game analysis, the game, half-time report, and maybe even some post-game action if I'm not too tired. Yeah, I've got both Fantasy Football teams set up - one for work, and one on the side, and I have one of each of tonight's quarterbacks on each of my two teams.

I'm looking forward to what's sure to be a dogfight - two incredible passers facing off in Indianapolis.

I love football season :-)

AAAARRRGGGH. Apple's making it tougher for me :-)

The iPhone price was just dropped by $200 today on the 8 Gb model. Still not enough storage for my needs, but dang. I'm confident in a year or so they'll have what I'm looking for to replace my clunky HTC Wizard.

Full disclosure...my dad works for IBM, but I don't want anybody to get the idea that it's influencing my opinion towards them, good or ill.

So have you noticed these new ads on television yapping about innovation? IBM has a few spots of this nature - one featuring "Innovation Man", another about "innotation" (innovation meditation) and various others which appear to mock the widespread corporate speak and pompousness of our day. I'm still having trouble finding any YouTube clips. Either they're too new, or hey, maybe IBM commercials aren't that exciting :-)

Regardless, I can sum up the gist of the campaign with the screen-clip below:


Now I don't know how sincere International Business Machines is about this slogan, but they have a clever (albeit HEAVILY Flash-ified) page that delves further into the concept and sarcastically decodes contemporary corporate jargon. I think my favorite example is their explanation of "bleeding edge":

It's what you call the "cutting edge" if you think the term "cutting edge" isn't "cutting edge" anymore. Of course, the term "bleeding edge" isn't "cutting edge" anymore, either. If confused, just say "new."

I really like the point they appear to be making here, and it's often echoed by one of my favorite firms, 37signals. Too often companies and teams get bogged down by the details. They over plan, build mountains out of mole hills, and beat around the proverbial shrub. People use stupid phrases and jargon instead of just spitting out what they mean.

I am SO FREAKING TIRED of attending meetings where we endlessly argue about the fine points of a project instead of diving right in. I'm sick of start-dates moving back again and again because nobody can make up their minds. I'm sick of myself coming up with ideas and letting them stew in my head or in my Moleskine.

I want to start doing. I want to see my ideas on the Internet, not simply sketched out or half-completed in TextMate.

I need to get pissed off enough to take my own advice :-)

I'm currently experiencing the same pride that warms my heart after introducing a friend to a band I love (particularly when they have the same resulting musical epiphany I did). But my satisfaction isn't musically related.

Yesterday, my mother-in-law bought her first Mac.

After plenty of build-up over the past year as her 8-year-old Gateway accelerated towards its own demise, she came down to Richmond and rode to the Apple Store with Valerie and I where she purchased a 20" iMac. Yes, that glorious new iMac clad in soft-toned aluminum with the hot new keyboard. Val's mom also purchased a copy of iWork '08, and I spent the better part of yesterday evening and today helping her set it all up and transition files from her old machine to the new baby.

I have to say, after using that keyboard yesterday and today - WOW. I want one. It's more than simply usable - it's enjoyable.

Now I have the pleasure of playing tech-support to my wife's mother while she learns the joy of computing on a Mac :-)

Thanks to John Gruber for linking up one of the funniest ads I've seen in ages:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wsGndlpQRs&w=425&h=350]

If you'd like to see the version that was too wide for my blog, check out the original.

Hot Fuzz is the second film (that I know of) to feature the excellent comedic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Whereas Shaun of the Dead tackled zombie flicks, however, this fine film provides a loving mockery of/homage to the action movie genre.

I mean it - this movie is absolutely hilarious, expertly blending slapstick, innuendo, irony, and that classic British absurdism stuff that I dig so much. Beyond the comedy, though, we have a movie that is not only an excellent action flick in its own right (the last 30 minutes! WOW!!!) but also shines as a beacon of real creative film making amidst a sea of otherwise visually bland comedy films. Sure, I know Guy Ritchie's films can be humorous, but they're hardly comedies...more like "crime capers" that have some funny parts. Hot Fuzz, on the other hand, is humorous start to finish.

There's a level of gore more commensurate with the aforementioned zombie tour de farce, and one of the central premises divulged late in the movie is a bit flimsy. I consider these to be trivial in light of the movies broader aims, and don't for a second foster hesitation in my rating.

This is five stars out of five, hands down. I'll be buying this DVD in the very near future.

Gah. I guess I'm getting sucked in to podcasts.

I finally caved and subscribed to John Gruber and Dan Benjamin's The Talk Show.

After listening to this week's episode, I decided to hit the subscribe button in iTunes and start gathering the back episodes as well.

I've recently reacquainted myself with The Best of Simon and Garfunkel. I'm not generally a huge folk music fan, but there's no denying the craftsmanship that went into their music and lyrics, and so I've been hooked all over again.

I also noticed that some of the lines in their songs put the most shoe-gazing of Emo kids to shame. In fact, just check out the words to the famous, "I Am a Rock" and see what you think:

A winters day
In a deep and dark december;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
I've built walls,
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
Its laughter and its loving I disdain.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

Don't talk of love,
But Ive heard the words before;
Its sleeping in my memory.
I wont disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.

Huzzah! My buddy Chris Malak and I just threw together a mini-road-trip of sorts. See, he's a huge Atlanta Falcons fan (even without Michael Vick), and I'm a huge New York Giants fan.

Well he called me up yesterday to ask if I wanted to go with him to see the Giants play the Falcons in Atlanta for Monday Night Football on October 15th. I couldn't resist, so we'll be snaggin' a couple of nose-bleeds from StubHub, stying in a Super 8 at the edge of the beltway, and taking the subway directly to the stadium.

This is SO gonna rock.

I have a Cingular (The new AT&T!!!) 8125 smart phone. This thing runs Windows Mobile 5, however, so the intelligence of the handset is pretty debatable.

You see, I work in an office. I don't want my co-workers to hear my phone blasting That Song by Big Wreck every time somebody calls me, so I keep it on vibrate during the day. Nothing special about that, right? Well if I had the ringer turned on, the low battery indicator would issue a short beep. Push a few electrons through the speaker so you know the phone needs charging, but don't use too much of that precious battery power to tell me, mkay?

What happens when the batter is low and the phone is on vibrate? Well what happens if somebody calls you and the phone is on vibrate? The phone doesn't make a sound - it activates a small motor inside the phone and spins an intentionally off-balance weight at high speed to cause the vibration. This is exactly what happens when the battery is low, too. However, incomprehensibly, the phone vibrates for a full five seconds! What better way to conserve battery power than to spin a weight inside the device just to tell me that the power is running out!

Maybe other phones do this, too, but most other phones are running very simplified operating systems compared to Windows Mobile. There should be no reason to expend the dwindling stored energy in my phone on a buzzing, spinning weight other than an incoming phone call, and no matter which platform is on the phone, surely it's only a software problem to kill the motor when the battery is low.

I've been a little tired of my phone for a few months now, but this is one of those things that annoys the crap out of me ever time it happens.

So I'm curious - do any other phones behave this way? Does the iPhone? Does Windows Mobile 6?

Okay, so Mugs tipped me off that "sushi" doesn't really mean, "with rice." I still like the name I've chosen for my dish, and it's stuck now, since my creation is a reality!

Tonight I made four rolls, and I deviated a little from my master plan, but I wanted to make sure it would actually work first. I could make a few tweaks in the future, and I may have a serious dish on my hands with endless possibilities! Anyway, check the video below, and see the final product:
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=287675&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF

Con Riso from ploafmaster and Vimeo.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention what it really tasted like :-)

The asparagus really balanced out the sausage, and both blended well with the risotto. I'm thinking of making sauces to go with future versions, such as a balsamic reduction and a white sauce. I may even sprinkle some toasted fresh bread crumbs on top. There really are so many directions I can go with this - I'm pretty psyched about it.

Alright everybody, it's time for the second Programmers' House Party this Wednesday night, August 29th from 7-10 pm.

Check out the event listing and mark whether you're attending. No "watching" this time, Trey :-)

I just have to say that I'm pumped for the impending NFL football season. In less than two weeks, the Indianapolis Colts face the New Orleans Saints in what's sure to be a battle of the quarter backs pitting the amazing Peyton Manning against the excellent Drew Brees. That action will keep me up really late on Thursday, September 6th.

Then the season really gets going when my New York Giants take on division rivals, the DESPICABLE Dallas Cowboys, on NBC's Sunday Night Football game. Here's hoping that the Giants don't depend on Eli too much, and that the running game doesn't suffer too much with the loss of Tiki Barber.

Go Big Blue Wrecking Crew!

Q: why are there so many “B vitamins” (B6, B12, etc)?

A: Well Chris, this one turned out to be easier than I expected. It seems that when folks were naming vitamins, it was originally understood that Vitamin B was a single chemical compound. A gentleman by the name of Robert R. Williams (an arm-chair vitamin researcher, it turns out) first isolated the chemical compound and structure of what we now know as thiamine. This, as I understand it, was the original "Vitamin B" and is still known today as Vitamin B₁.

Later of course, scientists determined that what they called "Vitamin B" was actually a complex of several compounds, not all of which coexist in a food at the same time. Each of these sub compounds of the complex is responsible for aiding different metabolic functions in our bodies, and were named likely in order of discovery. Now we have such familiar (from cereal boxes, at least) compound names as Riboflavin (B₂) and Folic Acid, or Folate (B₉).

So there it is...the answer to Ask Dan's glorious (maybe?) return.

Go ahead and post new questions in the comments section, hit me on Twitter, or email your quandaries to danielcwarshaw [at] gmail [dot] com.

Alright. I can't stand Rachael Ray. It drives me nuts to hear her say, "sammies" and "EEE-VEE-OH-OH," and I want to wretch every time she laughs. I avoid her show as best I can, and would rather watch commercials on another channel than suffer through the last two minutes of her show while waiting for Good Eats to come on.

Last night, however, I came to respect the self-described, "cook, not a chef," a little bit.

Valerie and I had our friends Lindsay, Rob, and their little baby over for dinner last night, and in preparing, I told Valerie to find a recipe for a chicken dish. Where did she turn? A gift she received from a relative - Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals 2. The dish was supposed to be grilled, but worked just fine on the stove top, and involved chicken with an absolutely delicious honey mustard glaze (and I don't like mustard!) composed of apple cider vinegar, curry powder, freshly ground allspice, some red onions, and some brown sugar. Oh boy, was it juicy and delicious.

So while I still have no intention of ever subjecting myself to her television programming, I'm willing to ease up a little bit and try more of her recipes (for those few occasions when I cook from a recipe).

Have you ever noticed that some CDs are way quieter than others? Even when you rip them to your computer the levels can vary widely, much to the detriment of your ears. For a perfect example, check out my music (ploafmaster on SimplifyMedia) and first listen to the song "I Hate It Too" by Hum, and right in the middle of that song, switch to "The Sun Also Rises" by Brave Saint Saturn.

Did the difference in volume startle you?

You see, it turns out many recording/mastering engineers compress the audio in order to increase the average decibel level of the music. I just read a fascinating, insightful, and surprisingly down-to-earth article in the IEEE's Spectrum publication about the commercial reasons behind the use of audio compression and it's serious drawbacks.

I think I'll be using Sound Check in iTunes and on my iPod from now on.

I never thought I'd ever do this. Call it peer pressure, call it a moment of weakness. Call it whatever.

After a modest meal at Galaxy Diner in Carytown, I shared some Deep Fried Oreos with some compatriots.

And they were totally worth it.

Where two or three come together for the inane, there am I to give crazy answers.

Thanks to Alexis and Chris, the rest of you are likely to be subjected (resubjected?) to Ask Dan once again!

So go ahead, submit those questions in the comments section of this or any other post, via Twitter, or by emailing me at danielcwarshaw [at] gmail [dot] com.

Do it!

I mean...please :-)