Tretakoff Musings
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Pete: Electric Bike Test Pilot
My friend Pete, who writes the popular Treough blog, has a post up on his exclusive opportunity to test ride the new Pi Electric Bike. As a cycling commuter who hates hills, I am thrilled about the possibilities of this transportation option. Not to mention how damned cool it looks.
Pete, congrats on being a breaking transportation reporter!
My friend Pete, who writes the popular Treough blog, has a post up on his exclusive opportunity to test ride the new Pi Electric Bike. As a cycling commuter who hates hills, I am thrilled about the possibilities of this transportation option. Not to mention how damned cool it looks.Pete, congrats on being a breaking transportation reporter!
Friday, July 11, 2008
iPhone App Review Orgy
Since the new iPhone apps don't have a "try before you buy" option, reviews become critical. Unfortunately, the reviews in the App Store seem to be more focused on declarations of how proud the reviewer is that he/she got their review done first, or complaining about the iPhone 3G, rather than extensive reviews of the applications, so it becomes even more frustrating.
Luckily, Gizmodo has a "marathon liveblog" going, where they are reviewing all the apps they can get their hands on and updating constantly. True, it still has the typical Gizmodo smart-ass attitude mixed with childish humor, but the reviews are actually quite helpful, and already made me pull the trigger on a game I was considering. Nice job, guys.
Since the new iPhone apps don't have a "try before you buy" option, reviews become critical. Unfortunately, the reviews in the App Store seem to be more focused on declarations of how proud the reviewer is that he/she got their review done first, or complaining about the iPhone 3G, rather than extensive reviews of the applications, so it becomes even more frustrating.Luckily, Gizmodo has a "marathon liveblog" going, where they are reviewing all the apps they can get their hands on and updating constantly. True, it still has the typical Gizmodo smart-ass attitude mixed with childish humor, but the reviews are actually quite helpful, and already made me pull the trigger on a game I was considering. Nice job, guys.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Finally, A Sports Guy Rival
I have no idea who MJD is, but I gotta love his short takes on the NFL in the surprisingly funny Yahoo Sports Blog, Shutdown Corner. Some absolute gems:
- "I think the only appropriate conclusion to be drawn here is that Tom Brady, all season long, had been molesting Randy Moss. Nothing else make sense. The only way any receiver, let alone an elite one like Moss, would want to leave his current quarterback for Daunte Culpepper is if his current quarterback was touching him in inappropriate places."
- "And as soon as I hit "publish" on this post, the Browns signed Derek Anderson [you're a damn liar, Phil Savage]. Please disregard everything you've just read. You may still continue to enjoy the photo, though.)"
- "The only way I'd understand was if the Cowboys were afraid that Barber's body would break down early because of the punishing, skull-bashing, child-frightening, wild mongoose running style Barber uses."
High comedy indeed. ;-) Enjoy!
I have no idea who MJD is, but I gotta love his short takes on the NFL in the surprisingly funny Yahoo Sports Blog, Shutdown Corner. Some absolute gems:- "I think the only appropriate conclusion to be drawn here is that Tom Brady, all season long, had been molesting Randy Moss. Nothing else make sense. The only way any receiver, let alone an elite one like Moss, would want to leave his current quarterback for Daunte Culpepper is if his current quarterback was touching him in inappropriate places."
- "And as soon as I hit "publish" on this post, the Browns signed Derek Anderson [you're a damn liar, Phil Savage]. Please disregard everything you've just read. You may still continue to enjoy the photo, though.)"
- "The only way I'd understand was if the Cowboys were afraid that Barber's body would break down early because of the punishing, skull-bashing, child-frightening, wild mongoose running style Barber uses."
High comedy indeed. ;-) Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The blogs of war: Engadget vs. Gizmodo
I've been a fan of both, but Fortune gives us a behind the scenes look at The blogs of war: Engadget vs. Gizmodo in a remarkably fascinating piece. I always wondered who had the lead...
I've been a fan of both, but Fortune gives us a behind the scenes look at The blogs of war: Engadget vs. Gizmodo in a remarkably fascinating piece. I always wondered who had the lead...
Sunday, November 04, 2007
The Image of America's Team
I have written several times about sports uniforms, and in particular, football uniforms. However, no one holds a candle to the UniWatch blog for the obsessive detail of this esoteric subject, but if you are the kind of person who wants to know what is up with the Redskins having a different helmet for home games, or why do some baseball teams wear vests, while others seem to have completely different outfits, UniWatch is for you.
Now, Paul Lukas, Mr. UniWatch himself, has turned his full attention on my beloved Cowboys, and the results are not pretty. From exposing the three shades of silver, as well as the two shades of blue, America's Team goes under the UniWatch microscope, warts and all. There are some fascinating tidbits, including the reason the Cowboys wear white at home (most teams wear colors at home), the strange alterations the Cowboys uniforms have uniquely had (tie down panels? wraparound collars?), and even the time the Cowboys altered their uniforms for the Bicentennial.
Even if you are not a 'Boys fan, it's a fascinating read, if only to see what OCD looks like in print. :-) I'll be rooting for them against Philly, mismatched silver and blues and all.
Now, Paul Lukas, Mr. UniWatch himself, has turned his full attention on my beloved Cowboys, and the results are not pretty. From exposing the three shades of silver, as well as the two shades of blue, America's Team goes under the UniWatch microscope, warts and all. There are some fascinating tidbits, including the reason the Cowboys wear white at home (most teams wear colors at home), the strange alterations the Cowboys uniforms have uniquely had (tie down panels? wraparound collars?), and even the time the Cowboys altered their uniforms for the Bicentennial. Even if you are not a 'Boys fan, it's a fascinating read, if only to see what OCD looks like in print. :-) I'll be rooting for them against Philly, mismatched silver and blues and all.
Labels: blogs, Dallas Cowboys, sports
Thursday, October 04, 2007
I'm Not Dead
It only looks that way. Work has been brutal, but the end is nigh: I have hired two new staff members, and one has already started. With trips to Chicago and NY coming up, the extra help could not have come at a better time. I've also been logging a lot of biking and other fun exercise, so blogging (and calls to my mother, father and friends) have suffered. I've been reduced to Facebook status updates and occasional snippets...but hopefully, I'll be back in a regular publishing groove soon.
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!Labels: blogs, Facebook, games, lifehacks, Madden, Plaxo, steampunk, VOIP, Wii, work
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Reason #482 Blogs are important
A while back, I blogged about how a person in my company was using his blog as a good tool to help better position himself and his job satisfaction in the company. Today, while perusing my Google Reader, I read his latest entry. This excerpt caught my eye:
Damn, that's smart. I never thought to use my blog to define my perfect new hire. It makes sense: why not demystify the process, and let people know just the kind of person you are looking for? Hell, I know people Google me before an interview; why not see just how good and smart they are by leaving them the tips they need to ensure I understand they are the right person for the job?
Thanks, Ed. Look for my post on the Client Services Manager I need soon!
A while back, I blogged about how a person in my company was using his blog as a good tool to help better position himself and his job satisfaction in the company. Today, while perusing my Google Reader, I read his latest entry. This excerpt caught my eye:"I hope some of the candidates I interview run into this blog entry. In reality, the ones that are curious enough to try and Google some information about my company or SQL Server DBA interview questions will run into lots of more useful information before coming upon this blog. Unfortunately, those are few and far between."
Damn, that's smart. I never thought to use my blog to define my perfect new hire. It makes sense: why not demystify the process, and let people know just the kind of person you are looking for? Hell, I know people Google me before an interview; why not see just how good and smart they are by leaving them the tips they need to ensure I understand they are the right person for the job?
Thanks, Ed. Look for my post on the Client Services Manager I need soon!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Woo-HOO! I'm a Trillian Astra Beta tester!
Remember when you used to actually enjoy getting emails? Well, I just had that feeling, as my Gmail let me know that I was just accepted as a Trillian Astra beta tester! Yep, I've just downloaded the ecstasy that is the next generation of unified instant messaging, so I'll be reporting on my impressions as they happen.
Look out, world: I'm on the future of IM. ;-)
Just a side note: over 4 years ago, I started converting a page of my website to a series of random ramblings and impressions of cool gadgets, things in my world, and more, for my family and friends to enjoy. Since then, blogging has gone mainstream, and many of my friends have started their own blogs, which are a blast to read. It's something I could not have envisioned, nor was I sure how long I'd keep up with it, but, despite several false starts, different blogging platforms, and long absences that my work enforces, I'm proud to celebrate my 500th post in this blog. I've enjoyed every bit of it, and have recently expanded the distribution to my Plaxo network, so that my co-workers and business contacts can see there is a very passionate Dallas Cowboys loving, mobile and travel bitching gadget and widget freak who just won't shut up.
Thanks to all of you who provide feedback, and read; it's quite a ride.
Remember when you used to actually enjoy getting emails? Well, I just had that feeling, as my Gmail let me know that I was just accepted as a Trillian Astra beta tester! Yep, I've just downloaded the ecstasy that is the next generation of unified instant messaging, so I'll be reporting on my impressions as they happen.Look out, world: I'm on the future of IM. ;-)
Just a side note: over 4 years ago, I started converting a page of my website to a series of random ramblings and impressions of cool gadgets, things in my world, and more, for my family and friends to enjoy. Since then, blogging has gone mainstream, and many of my friends have started their own blogs, which are a blast to read. It's something I could not have envisioned, nor was I sure how long I'd keep up with it, but, despite several false starts, different blogging platforms, and long absences that my work enforces, I'm proud to celebrate my 500th post in this blog. I've enjoyed every bit of it, and have recently expanded the distribution to my Plaxo network, so that my co-workers and business contacts can see there is a very passionate Dallas Cowboys loving, mobile and travel bitching gadget and widget freak who just won't shut up.
Thanks to all of you who provide feedback, and read; it's quite a ride.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
My Other Blog
Believe it or not, I actually contribute to another blog for my company, the Loyalty Dogs Blog. I tend to put sporadic entries in, but the comments from Mark, our CEO and one of my co-founders, are actually extremely insightful and well stated. Charles' comments are incredibly helpful, as well.
If you're looking to see another side of me, come run with the Dogs.
Believe it or not, I actually contribute to another blog for my company, the Loyalty Dogs Blog. I tend to put sporadic entries in, but the comments from Mark, our CEO and one of my co-founders, are actually extremely insightful and well stated. Charles' comments are incredibly helpful, as well. If you're looking to see another side of me, come run with the Dogs.
Labels: blogs, Loyalty Lab
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Apologies for the long absence...
It's been a crazy time. First, the move to the new house. Then, the arrival of the in-law family: first my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law, then the arrival of my brother-in-law, followed by the departure of my sister-in-law. Essentially, for the better part of a month, we've had houseguests. On top of that, work went crazy this week: growing pains from scale, along with the surge of the Mother's Day holiday, and several new clients (and a new team member!)...man, what a ride.
The good news is that I survived. Now, to get back to this blogging thing. :-)
I decided to finally listen to Charles and chuck the mountain bike for my daily commute: I'm now 8 miles, each way, to the Ferry. So, last Saturday, we headed to the bike stores for the test rides. First, I was amazed they let you test ride these things on the street: hand over an ID and a credit card, and away you go. With bikes that were, on average, well over $1000, and some stretching up to $5k, this seemed crazy to me. However, instantly I noticed a difference: hills, which I have come to loathe, were now a minor inconvenience. Straightaways were like going downhill. And downhills? For the first time, cycling was not just enforced exercise, but fun!
After 5 test rides, I settled on the Fuji Robaix, from Performance Bicycle. It's light as hell, has carbon fiber for strength and comfort, and let me fly. Plus, it was the least expensive of all of the bikes I rode. I was not thrilled about the shifters or the racing handlebars, but the position of both makes it much more comfortable to ride and take on hills. I added toe clips, but, thanks to Performance's loyalty program, I earned enough with my purchase to spring for those uber-cycle shoes/pedals; I'll be picking those up ASAP for the increased power.
Last week had some unseasonably warm days here, and I was delighted to finish off my ride home a couple of days with a dip in the pool for the first time. That is the ultimate in luxury: a hot, fun, fast ride home (11 minutes less than the mountain bike), followed by a cool swim. Man, now that's living. Not to mention my brother-in-law Brian cleaned up the whole kitchen after dinner every night. Almost made me forget about the insanity of work. Almost.
On the great deal front, only one major new one to report: Ikea has a pretty sexy glass display cabinet for only $60. Finally, Amy can get the various art pieces out and displayed in style. Add a halogen display for only a few bucks more, and it's stylin'. Off to pick up a third one tomorrow.
Finally, a "only in Marin" moment tonight. Yu Shang, a local sushi/Chinese food place, is a regular favorite. Cheap, high quality food, and you can't beat the service, especially with a mother-in-law in a wheelchair. We hit it every week or two for a quick bite. Tonight, busier than usual with the other folks who've found it. Imagine my surprise as we dined in the main dining room (we usually can be found at the sushi bar, but hard to do with the wheelchair), and sitting down across from our table was George Lucas and family! I don't know why I was surprised: he was raised in Marin, and probably knew about Yu Shang long before I ever did, but still, nice to have the validation. The man can eat anywhere, but that's his choice for a Saturday night out with the family. Try it, you will.
Ok, back to a more normal post schedule soon!
The good news is that I survived. Now, to get back to this blogging thing. :-)
I decided to finally listen to Charles and chuck the mountain bike for my daily commute: I'm now 8 miles, each way, to the Ferry. So, last Saturday, we headed to the bike stores for the test rides. First, I was amazed they let you test ride these things on the street: hand over an ID and a credit card, and away you go. With bikes that were, on average, well over $1000, and some stretching up to $5k, this seemed crazy to me. However, instantly I noticed a difference: hills, which I have come to loathe, were now a minor inconvenience. Straightaways were like going downhill. And downhills? For the first time, cycling was not just enforced exercise, but fun!
After 5 test rides, I settled on the Fuji Robaix, from Performance Bicycle. It's light as hell, has carbon fiber for strength and comfort, and let me fly. Plus, it was the least expensive of all of the bikes I rode. I was not thrilled about the shifters or the racing handlebars, but the position of both makes it much more comfortable to ride and take on hills. I added toe clips, but, thanks to Performance's loyalty program, I earned enough with my purchase to spring for those uber-cycle shoes/pedals; I'll be picking those up ASAP for the increased power.Last week had some unseasonably warm days here, and I was delighted to finish off my ride home a couple of days with a dip in the pool for the first time. That is the ultimate in luxury: a hot, fun, fast ride home (11 minutes less than the mountain bike), followed by a cool swim. Man, now that's living. Not to mention my brother-in-law Brian cleaned up the whole kitchen after dinner every night. Almost made me forget about the insanity of work. Almost.
On the great deal front, only one major new one to report: Ikea has a pretty sexy glass display cabinet for only $60. Finally, Amy can get the various art pieces out and displayed in style. Add a halogen display for only a few bucks more, and it's stylin'. Off to pick up a third one tomorrow.Finally, a "only in Marin" moment tonight. Yu Shang, a local sushi/Chinese food place, is a regular favorite. Cheap, high quality food, and you can't beat the service, especially with a mother-in-law in a wheelchair. We hit it every week or two for a quick bite. Tonight, busier than usual with the other folks who've found it. Imagine my surprise as we dined in the main dining room (we usually can be found at the sushi bar, but hard to do with the wheelchair), and sitting down across from our table was George Lucas and family! I don't know why I was surprised: he was raised in Marin, and probably knew about Yu Shang long before I ever did, but still, nice to have the validation. The man can eat anywhere, but that's his choice for a Saturday night out with the family. Try it, you will.
Ok, back to a more normal post schedule soon!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
March Musings
Just a random post to share, of some great tidbits.
- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.
- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.
- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.
- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.
- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.
- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.
More as I think to write...
- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.
- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.
- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.
More as I think to write...
Labels: blogs, cell phones, commercials, free, fun, gadgets, Software, Star Trek, TV, Video Games, Web 2.0, widgets, Yahoo
Sunday, March 04, 2007
How much is your domain worth?
Yep, it's now here. dnScoop lets you type in whatever domain you want, and it will tell you how much it's worth, based on traffic, views, and links. The interesting part to me was the Yahoo feature that lets you see who's linking to your domain; I had no idea I had so many links. While many were flattering and fun (Pete's blog, Lani's blog, Leslie's blog), a surprising amount were because of my post on the Jet Pack, some months ago.
On the Blog Value side, dnScoop also helpfully tells me that the estimated value of a single link on http://www.tretakoff.com is $5 /month, and that if I were to sell 8 spots on one page, I could generate $40/month in revenue for your website. Yeah, I'm retiring off of that.
Oh, yes, the value? Get ready:
Yep, it's now here. dnScoop lets you type in whatever domain you want, and it will tell you how much it's worth, based on traffic, views, and links. The interesting part to me was the Yahoo feature that lets you see who's linking to your domain; I had no idea I had so many links. While many were flattering and fun (Pete's blog, Lani's blog, Leslie's blog), a surprising amount were because of my post on the Jet Pack, some months ago.On the Blog Value side, dnScoop also helpfully tells me that the estimated value of a single link on http://www.tretakoff.com is $5 /month, and that if I were to sell 8 spots on one page, I could generate $40/month in revenue for your website. Yeah, I'm retiring off of that.
Oh, yes, the value? Get ready:
Labels: blogs
Exercise in Honesty, An Error, or a Great Strategy?
This last week was an interesting one. After all the dust settles, I may well share some insight on it all, but the situation is still in flux. Suffice it to say, this week determined my career, my home, and my mental state. It's been a busy one, to say the least.
One odd experience was with the power and peril of social networking on the web, and blogs. I am a passionate LinkedIn user, as it has always yielded me great results for professional networking and hiring. When you are a LinkedIn user, as you make updates to your profile, your linked contacts are notified of the changes, through email. I received one notification of a change, from someone I work with: he added a link to his blog. Curious, I checked it out. The first entry I saw?
This was startling, to say the least. My first reaction was shock, then embarrassment for the co-worker: he obviously had not realized his fellow company mates would see this. I could not tell him directly, as it was delicate, and I had reasons of my own. I shared the blog with some others, so they could talk with him.
As I thought more about this, I realized his "error" was actually one of three possibilities:
Now, I have worked with him for years, and find him to be one of the most honest and easygoing people I have ever worked with. He will dig his heels in when he thinks he's right, and cheerfully abandon objections when he sees no merit to them. I still have not figured out which of the above it is, but as more and more of us blog online, I wonder if this will be a more common occurrence, and if so, if he's not just a bit ahead of the rest of us on using this as a tool for change.
There's no resolution that I know of, but his subsequent blog entries make me think he's staying, so I hope, if he had planned to use this as a change agent, it worked. Would any of you do this?
And no, I will not put the link to his blog here. :-)
This last week was an interesting one. After all the dust settles, I may well share some insight on it all, but the situation is still in flux. Suffice it to say, this week determined my career, my home, and my mental state. It's been a busy one, to say the least.One odd experience was with the power and peril of social networking on the web, and blogs. I am a passionate LinkedIn user, as it has always yielded me great results for professional networking and hiring. When you are a LinkedIn user, as you make updates to your profile, your linked contacts are notified of the changes, through email. I received one notification of a change, from someone I work with: he added a link to his blog. Curious, I checked it out. The first entry I saw?
A time for change?
It's been over 3 years that I've been at my current company. I have never stayed with one company this long, and I'm getting the itch for a change. I've got several reasons why I want to change, and several reasons to stay put.
This was startling, to say the least. My first reaction was shock, then embarrassment for the co-worker: he obviously had not realized his fellow company mates would see this. I could not tell him directly, as it was delicate, and I had reasons of my own. I shared the blog with some others, so they could talk with him.
As I thought more about this, I realized his "error" was actually one of three possibilities:
- He made a genuine error, not realizing others in the company would see it.
- He blogs honestly and transparently, and is proud that others in the worlds he lives in can see his thoughts, regardless of the consequences.
- He did this as a conscious strategy to get others in the company to recognize his unhappiness, and choose to address it with him, either with discussion or perhaps compensation.
Now, I have worked with him for years, and find him to be one of the most honest and easygoing people I have ever worked with. He will dig his heels in when he thinks he's right, and cheerfully abandon objections when he sees no merit to them. I still have not figured out which of the above it is, but as more and more of us blog online, I wonder if this will be a more common occurrence, and if so, if he's not just a bit ahead of the rest of us on using this as a tool for change.
There's no resolution that I know of, but his subsequent blog entries make me think he's staying, so I hope, if he had planned to use this as a change agent, it worked. Would any of you do this?
And no, I will not put the link to his blog here. :-)
Are we REALLY that short of attention span?
"Blog" is short for weblog. Weblogs started as short online journals, for people like me to post their thoughts, and share with several people at once. But now, we have short-form weblogs: Tumblelogs, courtesy of Tumblr.
I feel like the old man I am for saying this, but has it really come down to this? No context, no setup, no storytelling: just brief excerpts of consciousness. For instance, have a look at this tumblelog. I love the formatting, and the visual treatment, but the content? It's like walking into a movie halfway through.
I pride myself on keeping up with the latest web trends, but this one might take a while.
"Blog" is short for weblog. Weblogs started as short online journals, for people like me to post their thoughts, and share with several people at once. But now, we have short-form weblogs: Tumblelogs, courtesy of Tumblr.I feel like the old man I am for saying this, but has it really come down to this? No context, no setup, no storytelling: just brief excerpts of consciousness. For instance, have a look at this tumblelog. I love the formatting, and the visual treatment, but the content? It's like walking into a movie halfway through.
I pride myself on keeping up with the latest web trends, but this one might take a while.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ah, the Satisfaction of Recognition
Always nice to occasionally remember the biggest charm of the Web is to encounter people with like philosophies that you might not have ever encountered. Case in point, I blogged about Brass Goggles in the past, a British blog devoted to all things steampunk (think Jules Verne). I've enjoyed reading it, and dropped the blogger a line to let them know about a steampunk Yahoo Widget, Steam Gage.
Imagine my joy to see that the wonderful blogger added a whole entry on my submission, and thanked "Mr. Tretakoff" for the information! My thanks to Brass Goggles for immortalizing me as such. I am honored.
Always nice to occasionally remember the biggest charm of the Web is to encounter people with like philosophies that you might not have ever encountered. Case in point, I blogged about Brass Goggles in the past, a British blog devoted to all things steampunk (think Jules Verne). I've enjoyed reading it, and dropped the blogger a line to let them know about a steampunk Yahoo Widget, Steam Gage.Imagine my joy to see that the wonderful blogger added a whole entry on my submission, and thanked "Mr. Tretakoff" for the information! My thanks to Brass Goggles for immortalizing me as such. I am honored.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
People Who Live In Straw Houses...
Most people, when undertaking a project to build a house, think wood, brick, concrete. Then there are the dreamers. The iconoclasts. The people who think they can make a real difference and blaze a new trail.
They build a house from straw.
Yep, you read it right. Meet Leslie Miley, the man of vision in question. I've had the pleasure to work with Leslie and call him a friend. But make no mistake about it: Leslie is a man of vision. He also is a man who is driven. Why, you ask, would a man of Silicon Valley buy a property in Paso Robles (in San Luis Obisbo county, about halfway from San Francisco to LA) and build a straw house? As Leslie says:
When Leslie explains it, in his uncompromising way, you actually get it. You believe it. And then you read the incredibly detailed blog of everything that went right, wrong, and in between. From the nightmare of contractor hell, fires, freezes, and every other imaginable thing, you can see what a militant black man who is the Forrest Gump of Silicon Valley (Inktomi, Yahoo, Google) experiences in trying to build his 40 acres (no mule, though the Kick Ass Coffee shop was a good substitute) and his house of straw in the heart of SLO. He says it best:
Read on...keep the faith, Shaft. You did what many of us could only dream of.
Most people, when undertaking a project to build a house, think wood, brick, concrete. Then there are the dreamers. The iconoclasts. The people who think they can make a real difference and blaze a new trail.They build a house from straw.
Yep, you read it right. Meet Leslie Miley, the man of vision in question. I've had the pleasure to work with Leslie and call him a friend. But make no mistake about it: Leslie is a man of vision. He also is a man who is driven. Why, you ask, would a man of Silicon Valley buy a property in Paso Robles (in San Luis Obisbo county, about halfway from San Francisco to LA) and build a straw house? As Leslie says:
In the year 2000 I started straw bale dream house that would be ecologically sound, environmentally friendly, and a place to finally call home.
When Leslie explains it, in his uncompromising way, you actually get it. You believe it. And then you read the incredibly detailed blog of everything that went right, wrong, and in between. From the nightmare of contractor hell, fires, freezes, and every other imaginable thing, you can see what a militant black man who is the Forrest Gump of Silicon Valley (Inktomi, Yahoo, Google) experiences in trying to build his 40 acres (no mule, though the Kick Ass Coffee shop was a good substitute) and his house of straw in the heart of SLO. He says it best:"...trying to run a coffee bar in a ultra-conservative, racist town. Who and what I am was fundamentally changed and not all for the better."
Read on...keep the faith, Shaft. You did what many of us could only dream of.
Labels: blogs
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Blidgets!
The content for the right side of my blog is provided, mostly, by Widgetbox. It's easy: you pick widgets you want to feature on your blog, configure them, and voila: they appear. Heck, I've even created widgets: that IM one (plugoo) came from my hacking their Javascript. Needless to say, I like the flexibility and variety of Widgetbox, and I have been very happy to see them grow.
Now, they've gone one step further: Blidgets. Essentially, you can take any blog and make it a widget. Then, you can put that widget on your blog: decide if you want headlines, articles, colors: you name it. For instance, I created Blidgets for Pete's Treough Blog, Lani's Fog Blog, and, of course, The Sports Guy. See them all on the right?
Best of all, YOU can have them, too. Anyone can. Sign up for a Widgetbox account, and subscribe away. Already have one, and want to feature Tretakoff Musings? Got you covered:
The content for the right side of my blog is provided, mostly, by Widgetbox. It's easy: you pick widgets you want to feature on your blog, configure them, and voila: they appear. Heck, I've even created widgets: that IM one (plugoo) came from my hacking their Javascript. Needless to say, I like the flexibility and variety of Widgetbox, and I have been very happy to see them grow.Now, they've gone one step further: Blidgets. Essentially, you can take any blog and make it a widget. Then, you can put that widget on your blog: decide if you want headlines, articles, colors: you name it. For instance, I created Blidgets for Pete's Treough Blog, Lani's Fog Blog, and, of course, The Sports Guy. See them all on the right?
Best of all, YOU can have them, too. Anyone can. Sign up for a Widgetbox account, and subscribe away. Already have one, and want to feature Tretakoff Musings? Got you covered:
Saturday, January 27, 2007
This Blog Just Saved Me $60!
In my recent posting about AT&T's VOIP Service, I wrote:
To which, a commenter, the mysterious SamIam, kindly said:
Well, I logged into my CallVantage account today, saw a link to change my plan, and was able to switch it to the $25 plan instead. There is NO difference between the $30 and $25 plans; just different price.
Thanks, SamIam: $60 a year savings, because of your comment!
In my recent posting about AT&T's VOIP Service, I wrote:"Yes, Vonage has a few more features I would like, and is $5 less;"
To which, a commenter, the mysterious SamIam, kindly said:
"AT&T CallVantage isn't $5 more than Vonage. Call them up and change your plan. The new plan (same as the old plan) is under $25 -- The FCC requires you change to the new plan!"
Well, I logged into my CallVantage account today, saw a link to change my plan, and was able to switch it to the $25 plan instead. There is NO difference between the $30 and $25 plans; just different price.
Thanks, SamIam: $60 a year savings, because of your comment!
Steampunk Fans, Unite!
I'm an unabashed fan of alternative fiction, where visionary authors look at key times or key events and wonder "what if this turned out differently?" From the books of Harry Turtledove, to the more obscure such as Richard Dreyfuss (yes, that Richard Dreyfuss), as well as the movies that attempt this (though usually with some annoying subplot of time travel), I'm hooked.
One sub-genre that particularly gets my full attention is steampunk. In essence, the idea of many of our technical innovations today, powered by steam engines, usually set in the 1800's. Good examples are the works of Jules Verne, or Bruce Sterling/William Gibson's The Difference Engine. Unfortunately, when Hollywood tries it's hand at steampunk, it usually is abysmal. Take, for example, the painful-to-watch film version of the Wild Wild West, or the movie that drove Sean Connery into retirement, vowing never to appear on the silver screen again, the terrible adaptation of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Even anime, a safe haven for most steampunk, touted a crossover film, Steamboy, which was amazingly underwhelming.
It was only fitting, therefore, that an antiquated, obsolete technology that I hold on to for charmingly nostalgic reasons tipped me off to a new source of fascination for steampunk fans like me. This month's Wired Magazine had a short article on a blog for all things steampunk, Brass Goggles. Complete with the Victorian phrasing and clever commentary, as well as wonderful steampunk links, it's a treasure trove of steampunk information. Artisans who've built PC's to resemble Deco sculpture or steam engines; changing the sounds on your PC to sound all mechanical and steam hisses; even previews of upcoming animated features, Brass Goggles is now on my must-read list.
One observation: I do love Wired, and have found so many wonderful things from their pages, but I was truly surprised at their ubiquitous acceptance of Google. In their article on Brass Goggles, they did not publish an URL or point the reader to anywhere to find it. They just gave the name of the blog, and assumed people would Google it. It made sense, in retrospect, as the physical magazine needs to worry about layout, but it was the first I'd seen of this. By the way, I can't recommend a subscription to Wired enough: it's filled with amazingly diverse and interesting articles, usually with excellent depth and great writing. It's been a great companion in those places where laptops are a little too hot for many years. :-)
I'm an unabashed fan of alternative fiction, where visionary authors look at key times or key events and wonder "what if this turned out differently?" From the books of Harry Turtledove, to the more obscure such as Richard Dreyfuss (yes, that Richard Dreyfuss), as well as the movies that attempt this (though usually with some annoying subplot of time travel), I'm hooked.One sub-genre that particularly gets my full attention is steampunk. In essence, the idea of many of our technical innovations today, powered by steam engines, usually set in the 1800's. Good examples are the works of Jules Verne, or Bruce Sterling/William Gibson's The Difference Engine. Unfortunately, when Hollywood tries it's hand at steampunk, it usually is abysmal. Take, for example, the painful-to-watch film version of the Wild Wild West, or the movie that drove Sean Connery into retirement, vowing never to appear on the silver screen again, the terrible adaptation of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Even anime, a safe haven for most steampunk, touted a crossover film, Steamboy, which was amazingly underwhelming.
It was only fitting, therefore, that an antiquated, obsolete technology that I hold on to for charmingly nostalgic reasons tipped me off to a new source of fascination for steampunk fans like me. This month's Wired Magazine had a short article on a blog for all things steampunk, Brass Goggles. Complete with the Victorian phrasing and clever commentary, as well as wonderful steampunk links, it's a treasure trove of steampunk information. Artisans who've built PC's to resemble Deco sculpture or steam engines; changing the sounds on your PC to sound all mechanical and steam hisses; even previews of upcoming animated features, Brass Goggles is now on my must-read list.One observation: I do love Wired, and have found so many wonderful things from their pages, but I was truly surprised at their ubiquitous acceptance of Google. In their article on Brass Goggles, they did not publish an URL or point the reader to anywhere to find it. They just gave the name of the blog, and assumed people would Google it. It made sense, in retrospect, as the physical magazine needs to worry about layout, but it was the first I'd seen of this. By the way, I can't recommend a subscription to Wired enough: it's filled with amazingly diverse and interesting articles, usually with excellent depth and great writing. It's been a great companion in those places where laptops are a little too hot for many years. :-)
Sunday, December 10, 2006
A table Pete AND Lani would love
Over on Pete's blog, you'll see some amazing examples of design, especially around furniture and housewares. On Lani's blog, you'll get great insight into setting up a new home, as well as work and movies. What you may not know is the two of them live together as a happy couple. Read their blogs, and you can see their tastes can be both overlapping and extremely divergent.
Looks like there's a company out there that decided to make something both of them can truly appreciate. Lani's been recently posting about her search for a dining room table, while Pete's been giving some good examples of innovative furniture designs. DB Fletcher decided both should have some satisfaction, with this radially expanding table. Not radically; radially. Want a larger table? Turn it:
Better yet, watch the short video of the table in action.
Looks like there's a company out there that decided to make something both of them can truly appreciate. Lani's been recently posting about her search for a dining room table, while Pete's been giving some good examples of innovative furniture designs. DB Fletcher decided both should have some satisfaction, with this radially expanding table. Not radically; radially. Want a larger table? Turn it:
It is a circular table which, when rotated at its outer perimeter, doubles its seating capacity, yet astonishingly remains truly circular.
The expansion leaves are stored within the table and, in just four seconds, smoothly and quickly emerge upon rotation, rising and radially expanding outwards as the entire top is turned through 30˚.
Better yet, watch the short video of the table in action.
