jesse leo dot com - 2012 edition
Old junk, photos, etc. 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Photographs E-moi: jesse at (you know the rest)
The gals
5/16/12: -- Sorry Skechers wearers, there are no shortcuts. But at least you might be entitled to a refund... -- Another terrifying asteroids are coming article. I think I need to lie down for a while. 5/16/12: -- Last weekend we brought the g-pigs outside so they could nibble grass and catch some fresh air. We like to give them a change of scenery when time & weather permit. Unfortunately this time around Aidan thought he'd have a little fun, so he lifted up the cage and released them both into the wild. They of course darted happily into the nearby hedge and thumbed their noses at me as I clambered around on one good leg trying to haul them in. Had someone been recording the incident I might've ended up on America's Funniest Home Videos - with the sound edited out, however, as the barrage of cursing was not suitable for primetime TV. 5/14/12: -- The story of how Toy Story 2 was almost deleted (via Kottke). -- Happy belated Mom's Day to all, I was so busy yesterday pampering the assorted mothers in my life that there was simply no time to post a proper appreciation. The weather was perfect and Mrs. Leo stole a nice nap on the couch. I think what she - and probably moms everywhere - needed more than anything else was quite simply a break. While mom snoozed, Jake setup a roadside stand and tried to sell his latest creation - something he had named 'Nature Sticks'. These consisted of bits of flowers and leaves skillfully bound to popsickle sticks with Scotch Tape. Sadly there were no takers, everyone must've been too busy visiting their mothers to take advantage of this amazing deal - just $2.16 apiece. 5/11/12: -- What I'd give to be 1/100,000th as good at something - anything - as Carter Beauford is on the drums... 5/9/12: -- My TMZ Moment: Was in Kent last Sunday and took a stroll (hobble, actually) with Father to the local coffee house. Shoulda known something was up - a BIG DUDE was positioned outside the door, glowering at passersby through dark Oakleys. He wasn't tall big, shorter than me in fact - but he was as wide as a barn door and had trapezius muscles so thick that they actually curved downwards on either side behind the neck, like Holyfield's. Inside we queue up and in walks a well-dressed woman with two friends. She was pretty in an earthy sort of way, but not necessarily a knockout. Definitely had a presence to her. And tall! First thing I say to myself is "Wow she looks like Katie Holmes." I may have quickly gawked once or twice, but had no reason to believe it was actually her. The tip off should've been when she and her entourage placed their order - boring stuff that only actresses drink (things like non-fat seaweed soy with minus 50 calories). Still not convinced, we step outside and sure enough there was little Suri, spinning round and round as bored little girls do - under the watchful gaze of the aforementioned behemoth of course. And sorry folks, this kid is every bit as cute IRL as she is in those People Magazine photos. Bummer that TC wasn't around, I have a few suggestions for his next role. 5/8/12: -- Nebraska man changes his name to Tyrannosaurus Rex. This has me wondering if Velociraptor would make me seem more badass, thoughts? 5/7/12: -- The Super Moon of 2012 was kind of a dud around here, way too cloudy. But fear not, here is a collection of amazing shots from photographers around the globe. 5/4/12: -- A collection of margarita recipes for your Cinco de Mayo drinking pleasure. -- It's like Spidey without all that Tobey Maguire emo bullsh*t, check out the trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man. Looks very promising. -- RIP MCA. ...cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce. -- The wait is finally over, Sherlock returns for Season 2 on Sunday. They're stressing me out by airing it at 9PM (Hello? Game of Thrones anyone?). Dieu Merci for DVR. 5/3/12: -- That bit about going jogging today, I was kidding. Yesterday the knee felt like a million bucks, today it's tightened up considerably and is making me cranky. But I guess this is as it should be. The craziest part for me was the anesthesia. This was my first time ever being put out cold. One moment I was joking with a PA and apologizing in advance if I started to spew nonsense as the drugs took hold. The last thing I remember was her assuring me that it would happen very quickly... Then I came to groggily in some other part of the facility with a mummified leg and a beaming nurse offering me water. All things considered it was the best nap I've had in years. Sitting sucks, walking and keeping mobile helps considerably. The plan for the next week or so is RICE and stationary bike whenever possible. I don't handle downtime well... 5/1/12: -- Knee surgery tomorrow, the lady said no food/drink after midnight for whatever reason. So the binging starts now and lasts right up until 23:59:59... -- A real-life Robinson Crusoe (via Kottke), Brendon Grimshaw lives in solitude on his tiny island off the Seychelles. "I have been offered millions, and I said no". I'm hoping he pulls a Willy Wonka and leaves the darn place to me (just skip that bit about the golden tickets). He could rest in peace knowing I'll do his island justice. Hey Brendon - call me. -- New Norah Jones album streaming free on NPR today. I'll give it a listen and post a full review. Problem is even if the album is utter garbage you'll never hear me say a bad thing about her. You see, I have this thing... when I hear her voice I close my eyes and imagine I'm lying in a hammock, rocking gently as she sings softly in my ear while feeding me grapes by hand... Whoops maybe I've said too much. -- Confused. When did Yaz become Yazoo? 4/26/12: -- The new Microsoft retail stores - if you can't beat 'em, copy 'em... -- Nike gave a guy a bunch of dough to make a commercial, here is what he came up with. Inspirational, if nothing else. But will it sell sneaks? 4/25/12: -- Even the IRS has limits... -- The Camp Conundrum: With the end of school sneaking up on us we're starting to think about how to keep the monsters busy/entertained this summer. Aidan will be doing his usual summer school, but we're struggling to come up with ideas for Jake. If money were no object (Hahahahahah! That's a good one!) we have two options for him: 1) The Pratt Center has several nature-ish programs, one of which he did last summer and enjoyed immensely. Hiking, planting stuff, studying critters, caring for livestock... all good stuff. So that's a given. But that's just one week! 2) NM Parks & Rec offers some sort of daycamp-like thing from 9-3, Monday through Friday, for the bulk of the summer. But jeez - is that cruel and unusual punishment during a summer vacation? After a few weeks would it start to feel like school to him? Having no agenda between July and September is one of the best parts of being a kid, right? Or by mid July will he bored out of his skull spending every waking hour playing video games? All these questions, questions, questions... The obvious thing to do is simply ASK HIM what he wants to do, which we did. Only it's not that simple, his answer changes with his mood... -- Dave was on Fallon last night with some new stuff. Oh yeah, the president too. 4/24/12: -- That Atlantic has assembled a terrific collection of images from Autism Awareness Month 2012. -- Play I Shot the Sheriff in your head - the Clapton version. But change the chorus to I fed the Fat Rats as you drop lettuce into the guinea pig cages. That was me, around 6:08am today. See what no sleep can do to a person? -- Apparently a minivan-sized asteroid exploded over CA yesterday. The end is nigh... 4/23/12: -- Just stick your finger in there and find the queen... Beehive relocation made simple. -- Guess we needed the rain. Having said that, this sucks. 4/18/12: -- Nice story on TC today about a guy who designed an iPad app to help his autistic brother. There's been a veritable explosion of such apps in the past few months, and it's a beautiful thing. Some are garbage. Some are great but not necessarily applicable to our particular situation. We have yet to find the perfect app for our Duppy Conqueror (rest assured I'll be raving about it here when we do!), but we are noticing that his interest in the device as a whole has doubled in recent weeks. I pretty much have to set my alarm and get up in the middle of the night if I want any iPad time, but hey - he's worth it. -- So what do we think of T-Mobile girl's new look? Me likey. Strictly from a marketing perspective of course... 4/17/12: -- We'll just pretend the 90's boy band thing never happened, k? 4/16/12: -- Re: Girls, I watched last night and enjoyed it thoroughly. Is it the life-altering event we've all been waiting for, as many reviews are claiming? That remains to be seen. So far it seems well written, funny and honest - I'm hooked just enough to sit down with it again next weekend for ep2. -- "... for those few minutes the ship was alive again." -- It's like, hot. 4/13/12: -- As a kid I used to whine incessantly that this wasn't fair, or that wasn't fair. And the wisest woman I know would ask "Who ever said life is fair?", and I would smolder inside because there truly is no comeback for that. Only now as a grown-up do I realize that's the best advise I've ever received, or will ever receive. Happy Birthday Grandma Nanclyn, Mother of this Whole Fam-i-leee ! 4/11/12: -- My next coffee table... -- DOJ taking aim at Apple and five big time publishers over e-book pricing... -- Whoa, Frank Deford, tell us how you really feel about the NCAA... Bonus points for using "sanctimonious claptrap". 4/10/12: -- When I'm old and can't even remember who you are (or who I am for that matter), play music for me. -- Aidan wrote his name yesterday at school (pictured here). For his proud parents not even the Louvre holds a finer piece of artwork. -- Down with iTunes? Noted Mac columnist Jason Snell says it's time. I must agree that it has indeed become an intimidating, bloated mess that, music streaming aside, I tend to shy away from. Who among us doesn't flinch a little bit when connecting a portable device to their Mac? I've almost come to expect some sort of error or terrifying warning message. Time to simplify. -- At first I thought this was a goof, but apparently there are a bunch of folks who were unaware that Titanic was an actual ship that actually sank... 4/9/12: -- Never used Instagram so I'm not freaking out about Facebook's big purchase today, though everyone else seems to be. For me it was more of a melancholy sigh followed by a "yep yep yep yep" like Al from Happy Days. Tim Seidel (@badbanana) tweeted: Instagram, one billion dollars. Annie Leobovitz, broke. And that's our modern world in a nutshell. Epic. -- Well I guess a Katniss Barbie was inevitable... -- There are unconfirmed rumors that Aidan wrote his name today, guess I'll have to wait 'til I get home to see the finished product :) 4/6/12: -- Let's squash this nonsense right now, there's nothing wrong with Katniss... -- Heads up fellow Mac users: nasty trojan horse going around... -- Unusual full moon on tap for tonight, I'll be watchin'. -- I know, I know... we needed another pet like we needed a hole in the head. Here's the story: Jake conned mom into getting a hamster with his birthday money. Poor thing died within two days, presumably of wet tail. So we were eligible for a refund and applied it towards Cinnabon (Cinna for short. Sorry.). I read somewhere that Guinea Pigs are social rodents, and it's always secretly bothered me that Soccer just sits around by herself 24/7. So there it is. We are gradually introducing them to each other in neutral areas, as of now they are in separate tanks. Since they are both females they might actually get along, if we go about it correctly. And yeah, I have to admit - there's a stripe of caramel on Cinna's nose that is absolutely adorable... 4/4/12: -- Stumbled upon a great new site for money management morons like me, check out the billfold. -- So this is how a strip search is performed. Cough. 4/2/12: -- It's like Woody Allen was strolling dreamily around Paris on some gorgeous summer evening after half a bottle of pastis, when Cupid snuck up from behind and twang! Shot him in the ass with a love arrow. Such was my thinking after finally watching Midnight in Paris. Mother described it as a love letter to the city itself, and that just about sums it up. Man did it make me yearn to go back. Heck, how old was I? 16? 17? **Sigh**... I will say that at times I felt like an uncultured ignoramus for not being able to identify artists such as Salvador Dali and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Yes, the movie is set in modern day Paris, but **spoiler alert** these guys and others make cameos. But in no way did my complete lack of culture detract from the gist of the scenes, I didn't need to consult Wikipedia until after the closing credits. Overall the movie left me batting my eyelashes and pining for an hour on a terrace d'un cafe with my sweetie. A gem. -- Today is World Autism Awareness Day, Light It Up Blue to raise awareness for this entire generation of kids that we've lost to God knows what... 3/30/12: -- Interesting: a Reddit thread started by a lottery winner offering to candidly answer all of the questions you've been dying to ask someone in his shoes. Seems legit, as far as I can tell. -- In anticipation of the Thrones Season 2 premiere on Sunday, Slate has graciously posted a compilation of the grossest killings, mutilations, beheadings and disembowelments from Season 1. Slicety slice! -- Half a billion bucks? I wonder how far this thing will go. Good luck, peeps. You have better odds of getting struck by lightning and hit by a meteorite on the same day, but hey - someone's gonna win... -- Finally was able to sneak out and see Games last night. Not perfect, but they came pretty darn close to nailing it - good fun and they did the novel justice. 3/27/12: -- Is it just me or have cosmic near misses such as this one been popping up in the news quite a bit lately? Starting to think that this sort of thing happens more than we're told (so as to avoid global panic, of course... I for one would probably take a sick day), and that our days are numbered... -- Gambian Pouched Rats! -- Gotta tell ya, this would definitely put a dent in the bills... -- Pleased to report that our boy is doing much better and should be back at school tomorrow. The whole thing started about a week ago, Jakey was feverishly hot and lethargic. He passed it along to me on Friday (serves me right for boasting about having made it through the winter free of malady, scroll down to 3/5 post), and even now I'm still not 100%. Aidan picked it up over the weekend and he was up around 103 degrees at one point. And today the missus has joined the band of suffering. Well played, fever bug. 3/26/12: -- Rented out a small-ish screening room in the back of Bank Street Theater for Jakey's 6th birthday party. Since everyone had already seen The Lorax about a week earlier at some other party, we played it safe and opted for Rio. Not sure how much of the movie actually got watched, given the ruckus in the back of the room. But on his big day he was laughing and was surrounded by admiring hooligans - what more could a six year old wish for on his big day? Booms and thuds could be heard from across the hallway from The Hunger Games, SO TEMPTED to sneak over and catch an early viewing... But alas we'll just have to wait. 3/23/12: -- Unless you live in a cave you've no doubt heard that The Hunger Games film starts today. Goaded on by the impossible amount of hype leading up to today, Maria and I plowed through all three novels in recent weeks. Word on the street is all positive, I've read glowing review after glowing review. We may indeed have our next Twilight craze on our hands here, except this one actually has brains. I'll feel no shame as I line up with the teeny boppers, overpriced ticket in hand, and neither should you - these are top notch stories that I can't wait to see on the big screen. Oh and in case you were wondering, I am decidedly Team Gale all the way! -- I've missed my true calling... 3/22/12: -- Google has forgotten why we love it. -- So they want to dig in with a laser and do some stuff to my meniscus, the MRI showing some fraying or perhaps a tear. But here's the thing: for the most part, the knee feels fine. I'm able to exercise and have played in a few basketball games in recent weeks. Only if I move a certain way do I get an "odd" (not necessarily painful) feeling. Combine this with some horror stories I've heard from family members who have had this procedure and came out the worse for it, and then I stumble upon articles such as this... I'd been having serious doubts, to be honest. Plumbers plumb. Doctors operate. So it came as some relief to feel some good old fashioned knee pain last weekend, maybe I'll go through with this afterall. 3/20/12: -- Sparrow, anyone? -- Report: new iPad runs too hot and is giving people sweaty hands. Call the waaahmbulance... 3/19/12: -- Mmmmmmmmm, BBQ Banana Boats... -- A part of me regrets not taking advantage of a rare Saturday edition of St. Patrick's Day. I drank one Guiness (out of a can!) and wore green socks, but that aside the day just kind of came and went. But then I think of what I truly missed out on - green colored Coors Light? Deafening Irish pub songs? A brain-pounding hangover on 3/18? I must be an old fogey, my day in the garden felt perfectly satisfactory. 3/16/12: -- Up absurdly early this morning to catch a train to NYC, I don't know how so many folks do this every day. So draining... Although I was able to knock back a few chapters of the Jack Reacher novel I'm reading before fading off to a head-bumping-against-the-window light nap... 3/14/12: -- In preparation for St Patrick's Day this weekend, here's a tutorial for pouring the perfect pint. -- A radio station this morning boasted of playing the "best hits from the 80's, 90's and today..." as their tagline or whatever it's called. But what about the years between 1999 and now? Either there were no good tunes during that decade or no one came up with a cool name for it... The Oh-Oh's? The two-thousands? 3/12/12: -- Heard an interview with Charles Barkley recently, he was talking about the effects of age on a basketball player. Individual skills diminish over time, of course - lateral movement, leaping ability, explosiveness, etc. But often you can make up for that in what you've learned over the years, by playing smarter. And stamina isn't a problem, I can run for hours. But what Barkley says about recovery time is 100% spot on, more than anything else the body's ability to bounce back from the punishment is what I'm noticing in my *ahem* advanced years. Played every minute of a tough game yesterday morning, today I feel like a human crash test dummy. Starting to see why dudes take up golf... -- Homeless Hotspots. Twisted and cruel, or a win-win? I honestly can't decide... 3/9/12: -- St Patricks' Day cyber attacks anyone? -- The woman who created Spanx is a billionaire? -- Farhad Manjoo on why the iPad may never be matched, let alone beaten. -- Said it before and we'll say it again - the little rope/disc swing outside our front door is the best money we've ever spent. During the warm months Aidan absolutely lives on that thing. His body seems to crave constant motion/input/stimulation, all winter long he's been pulling, climbing and leaning on (and destroying) our bannister. Needless to say we've been counting the days 'til spring... 3/8/12: -- At last, the sequel to Justin Cronin's The Passage has a release date! -- With a bit of coaxing, Jakey reads to us (sort of) at bedtime. It's slow going, but it's golden. 3/7/12: -- New iPad features roundup. I'm enticed, and I'm drooling (man- that 2048x1536 display!), but I've got too much going on right now to whip out the wallet... -- New videos are up! -- Many of the live webfeeds are bogged down, but from the little tidbits I'm seeing on Twitter, the new iPad will support 4G, has a crisp HD display and 1080p video recording. I'll link to a definitive roundup once things cool down a bit. 3/5/12: -- Four for four! Ok I know that the makers of Airborne took some legal heat for claiming that their product will actually keep you from getting sick. But so far this winter I've counted four, yes four separate incidents where I could feel fluish symptoms coming on - you know what I mean - you just feel "off" and you know it's a matter of hours before you're lying on the floor chanting "please no please no please no please no..." - then proactively guzzled the overly-hyped fizzy concotion and successfully thwarted illness! It's total mind over matter, I know. It works because I EXPECT it to work. But whatever the case I ain't complainin'. 3/1/12: -- Frankenweenie! -- Are you watching Luck? I'm not, and apparently not many folks are. Pity, with that cast I'm sure it's terrific - but with the limited TV time I can steal these days, a show has got to knock my socks off in the way that Thrones and Downton have... -- More juicy rumors surrounding the next iPad release... 2/29/12: -- There is a 1 in 8 chance that the sun will do some really bad stuff to us in the next decade or so... -- Google is about to start doing evil things, it seems. Here's how you can best protect your privacy. -- Made the mistake of plowing full bore through Seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey. Now with God knows how long 'til Season 3 premiers, my life stretches before me like a dull, barren wasteland. What'll I do??? 2/28/12: -- Our too-cool-for-school iPad 2's are about to feel SO last year... 2/27/12: -- The internet has its moments, I'll give it that. 2/24/12: -- Prepare for some downtime in the near future. -- Now available on iTunes: the Steve Jobs Moment of Silence. Hey it's for a good cause... -- I've been saying it all along, there's a science behind proper punning. 2/23/12: -- He's 8! Where is the time going? Love you, my little Duppy Conqueror. 2/22/12: -- A fine collection of iPad/iPhone wallpapers. Start your downloads! -- Is Pinterest just for chicks? I joined the other day for no reason other than the loser-ish feeling that I was somehow being left behind, missing out on the cool kids' party. But so far I've yet to find a use for the damn thing... 2/21/12: -- Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled this winter has been so unusually mild (so far, I keep reminding myself that it's only February). But I can't help but think if this is to become the new norm - and I really hope that's not the case - that the balance of things may never recover. Since we're on the topic of winter, we've been using the pellet stove long enough to cautiously declare that yes, it was a good move for us. I may have mentioned a while back that we picked up a lightly used Breckwell over the summer in an effort to cut down on the outrageous CL&P bills that nearly ruined us last year. It's far from a perfect solution, but our Januray electric bill was actually bearable. PROS: - Cheap(er). With the pellet stove running we keep the thermostats set around 60, and they rarely need to kick in. - Toasty. It may take a while to warm up, but once the stove is rockin' the larger areas of the house are perfectly comfortable. It doesn't quite reach down the hall to the bedrooms, but that's not a deal breaker. - Easy. Just push the button. No fussing with matches & newspaper, no lugging filthy logs into the house at 5AM on a frigid morning. - Safe(er). Had we gone with a woodstove, which we had considered, every day when leaving for work I'd worry that the house would burn to the ground. We shut the pellet stove down when we're not there, and off is off. CONS: - Noise. Granted it's a static, or "white" noise as they call it, and you get used to it. But the sound of the blower is ever-present. - Fuel. You never want to run out of pellets on a 15 degree night, so it's important to keep a healthy stock of pellet bags on hand. And they're only $5/bag, but in the dead of winter you'll blast through a bag a day. Still cheaper than electric but not free either. - It's electric! (Boogie Woogie Oogie). If the power goes out we're SOL. Fortunately we have mom's old woodstove downstairs if that happens, but still... - Keep it clean. The pellet stove requires a thorough cleaning every couple of days, a chore which got old very quickly. 2/20/12: -- Took the boys to the AMNH on Friday to marvel at dino bones and whatnot. I hadn't been since I was a tot, and to be honest was expecting a snoozer of a day. But minutes in I was a boy again, craning my neck to catch every detail of every display... refreshing to know that there are still places left that can do that to a person. 2/16/12: -- Shares of Apple stock (AAPL) breached $500 recently. Slate contends that even now it is still a bargain? 2/15/12: -- Interesting factoids about Toy Story that you probably weren't aware of. 2/14/12: -- Candy Heart Rejects (#candyheartrejects) is trending on Twitter for V-Day, a few of them are hilarious: "You'll do"... "Let's Dutch Oven Each Other"... "I'm a Tums"... "Get Tested"... "Get In the Van"... "Please Stop Crying"... "I'm a Roofie"... "It Rubs the Lotion On Its Skin"... -- I totally stole that picture of Gollum (above), but just couldn't resist. Also in the spirit of V-Day I found this collection of Game of Thrones valentines. Cool, but pales in comparison to the Downton Abbey collection that's been buzzing around. Of course if you don't watch either show these won't make much sense. And if you don't watch either show you need to seek medical attention right away! 2/13/12: -- Never cared tuppence for Foo Fighters (except for the unplugged version of Everlong, which is epic), but I like what Dave Grohl had to say during their acceptance speech last night on the Grammy Show. "To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what's important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do." Other highlights from the show? Tough to say because I was only half-watching. I recall looking in on a dreadful Katy Perry act. I recall Sir Paul McCartney suave in a dinner jacket, but didn't hear the performance. Fell asleep and missed J-Hud's Whitney Houston tribute, but NPR played a brief snippet of it this morning and it sounded spot on. Saw Taylor Swift looking cute in a hillbilly outfit, but again couldn't hear the TV (maybe that's a good thing). It was Adele's night, of course, and her three dozen acceptance speeches made her all the more lovable. But is it just me or did she seem afraid of hitting the big notes? Not that anyone could blame her, having recently undergone surgery to her vocal cords. Question of the night - why were Etta James & Don Cornelius snubbed in the 'In Memoriam' segment? 2/10/12: -- Now that is one mad dad... 2/8/12: -- Why is it so gosh darn cold in Europe this year? Read on... -- Loved the bit on NPR this morning about Facebook going public. By law the company is required to produce a list of its biggest risks. Some boring stuff about clunky ads on mobile devices being a big turn off, and of course the well publicized privacy complaints are ongoing. But the most interesting by far is a problem of motivation - some of Facebook's top execs are simply too damn rich. Where's the motivation to pull a caffeine-fueled all nighter to meet deadlines? **Sigh** Oh the hardship... 2/6/12: -- This has gone uber-viral in the past week or two so you've probably already seen it. But in case you haven't, this letter from a slave to his former master is too amazing not to share. -- Well it came down to a Hail Mary heave that bobbled around in the end zone a bit, so I guess it was in fact a pretty exciting SB. But the highlight of the night, of course, (not counting either of the commercials featuring Adriana Lima), was the Honda CRV Ferris Bueller spot. Here is the extended version for your viewing pleasure. Broderick? Broderick? 2/3/12: -- It was late, and I was too drowsy for a novel but too comfy to properly retire to bed. Would never make it through a movie, and I hate stopping one halfway. What to do? Ah, grab the iPad and fire up an episode of Magnum PI on Hulu. How about Digger Doyle, yeah that'll do the job quite nicely. Always had a thing for Erin Gray back in the day. All in all a satisfactory ending to the night... -- There are hardcore gamers, and then there are people like this... -- Pardon my saying so, Miss... But you're quite a load ! 2/2/12: -- Can't get it out of my head. Haunting. -- I had no idea that VeriSign had been hacked. This is kind of a big deal. -- Sat down with Season 1, Episode 1 of Downton Abbey to see what everyone is fussing about. And yeah, it really is that good. Already pining for the next 'sode. 2/1/12: -- Might be time to double check my spam filter settings, a message from "Penis Growth Free Trials" made its way to my inbox unimpeded. Not that I'm complaining, mind you... 1/31/12: -- There is talk that one of the greatest dunks of all time was executed last night by Clippers stud Blake Griffin. Meh. Watch the clip and judge for yourselves. Give Blake major points for sheer power and ferocity (Kendrick Perkins should find a cave and never come out), no doubt about it. But best ever? Call me old-school, I still like $ slithering along the baseline and cramming on Ewing, and of course The Doctor "rockin' the baby" (scroll down the article). -- MRI on the knee last Friday. The idea is not to move at all - simple, right? But after about 15 minutes your leg takes on a mind of its own, it wants to twitch so badly for no good reason other than it knows it's not supposed to. Results on Thursday. Til then, I continue to pound away on it in blissful ignorance. 1/26/12: -- When the zombies come for us, will you be prepared? I will be... 1/25/12: -- Back in the late 1990's I used to take a lot of ribbing for being an Apple devotee. The company had no clear leadership, its product line was a confusing mess and they were on the brink of going under. I'd love to track down all of those naysayers and rub Apple's jaw dropping first-quarter earnings results in their faces. But a part of me is starting to get scared - just a little bit, mind you - of how massively wealthy and pervasive the company is becoming. I hope Apple doesn't lose its way and sell its soul the way some of these other gi-normous tech companies have (won't mention any names here...). Wish I could find Apple's high school yearbook and scribble in the margin: Stay cool, don't ever change. -- Why did anyone think this State of the Union address would be different than any of the others? They all adhere to the same script: the Prez says he did this this this and this. And to top that, he's about to do this this and even this. Congressional members from the president's party cheer wildly. Members of the opposing party sit with pouty faces, and afterwards one of them gives a "reaction speech", refuting the whole thing. Then the media goes on a fact checking rampage for both the address as well as the reaction speech, and we're told that the truthfulness of the night's events depends upon who you ask. Silliness. 1/24/12: -- Forget about all this 3-D rubbish, shooting movies at higher FPS is where it's at. -- Ah, the memories... Wish I could find my old AD&D stuff. -- Bats! 1/23/12: -- Back in the day, drinking coffee could land you in big trouble... -- Hey Heidi, I heard the news... tweet me, baby. -- By late summer 2011 I had all but given up on my birding hobby, or at least I'd stopped feeding them. Blame those damn chipmunks, they would sweep in and grab every morsel I put out within minutes. Yeah, they're officially no longer cute. But with the varmints presumably holed up for the winter I've gotten back into the game, and was rewarded yesterday by handsome Mister Pileated Woodpecker hammering away on the suet. He's a bit shy, but I'll try to sneak a photo next time he comes calling. 1/21/12: -- Attention java snobs: cheap, doctored up coffee has its merits and is worthy of your respect. Hear hear ! -- A collection of Apple Store designs to make you gasp with delight. I was in Grand Central a few days ago and completely forgot to check out the new store, dang dang. -- Definition of Autism is about to change. My guess is that insurance companies are getting sick of paying for services, no doubt there is money changing hands in high places... 1/20/12: -- With all due respect, Mr. President. the singing should be left to the Good Reverend... -- Word of the Day: Conigulate ... It means to configure, coordinate, program, and/or synchronize (e.g. She restarted her iPhone upon arriving at Grand Central so it would conigulate with the nearest cell phone tower.). And yes, I totally made this word up but still use it on a weekly basis. No one ever questions me on it. 1/17/12: -- Now here's a petition I'll sign. The check engine light is completely useless, would it kill them to at least have it display the numerical problem code? As a frequent driver of shitmobiles, this is an issue that really hits home... -- An uplifting collection of doomsday scenarios that actually might happen. The end is nigh... -- Warm birthday wishes to my amazing mother! 53 never looked so good :) 1/16/12: -- Wikipedia to go dark on 1/18... -- Really sucks to be a Zappos customer right about now... -- The coolest iPad tricks you'll ever see. 1/12/12: -- My love affair with the foam roller began a few weeks ago, as I blogged a while back I've been having debilitating IT Band issues on the left side. A friend and fellow pavement-pounder swore by her foam roller and let me borrow hers, and upon recently starting P90X2 I realized it's a required piece of equipment. Let me tell you, IT Band problems or not, the thing is miraculous. Roll out all of the knots and kinks wherever you find them - back, thighs, calves, arms... I haven't had to nag the missus to walk on my back in weeks. -- Now that is one small frog. 1/11/12: -- What sort of education announcement will Apple make on 1/19? -- Oh to have a sloth's life... 1/10/12: -- Loving The Restart Page. Mac OS9 is still the most elegant startup in my opinion... -- Who needs the birds and the bees when you have.... frogs? I saw an opportunity to lay the groundwork for the talk with Jakey, and by golly I took it. We were reading a book about amphibians, and there was an entire page dedicated to the topic of mating. Color photos leaving nothing to the imagination, big text, the whole bit. So when pressed to explain why mommy frog seemed to be giving daddy frog a piggyback ride, I told him. Now don't freak out, I omitted various icky details and vaguely alluded to mommy and daddy frog - who love each other very much - getting "close together", and that this would eventually lead to baby tadpole eggs. He hasn't mentioned it since, and might not even remember the conversation. But hopefully when the time is right I'll have the frogs in my arsenal as a way of laying the facts out there for him. -- It's official. Soccer (pictured here), a Cavia porcellus, actually consumes more calories per day than the average human being. That little varmint is eating us out of house and home! 1/9/12: -- 20 years of Island Notes - nice to see BI Times contributor and longtime island resident/wordsmith Martha Ball being recognized for her exemplary writing. I didn't even know the essays had been compiled into a book, must grab a copy next time we're out there. Martha captures the mood and the rhythms of BI like no one else, and no one is better steeped in BI lore than she. Do yourself a favor next summer and swing by the Greenway gallery on Water Street to chat her up. 1/6/12: -- An interesting bit about babies, moms and cells. Kinda tugs at the hearstrings, don't it? -- Can't decide if this was a good parenting move or a complete disaster: this morning after wolfing down a plate of French Toast bits, Jakey was walking around whining that he was still starving... carrying on and on and on. In a fit of frustration I took him to the computer and showed him that iconic 1994 Kevn Carter photograph of the starving child with a vulture lurking nearby (I won't link to it, but you know the one I'm talking about. Google it if you must), to show him what that word truly means. After that Jakey switched to still hungry. I guess that's something... -- BSG fans will get a kick out of this. If you haven't watched the show, however, none of it will make much sense. 1/5/12: -- C.I. on Conan! -- The trailer for The Descendants is set to pleasant Hawaiian music and features amusing snippets of George Clooney doing silly things: running in sandals awkwardly, peeking up from behind a ledge like a prairie dog, and so on. So yeah, there are indeed laugh out loud moments of levity. But don't be fooled - this is pretty heavy stuff. We hardly blinked, from previews to closing credits. I'm not a big Clooney fan. Maybe I'm just sick of every woman on the planet - even the gay ones - being madly in love with him and going on and on about how great he looks in a tux. But I have to say, he knocked it out of the park in this one. 1/4/12: -- Interesting interview with Alan Rickman, the only guy in the world who could have done Severus Snape to perfection. I had no idea that JK Rowling had revealed Snape's "big secret" to Rickman early on. The temptation to spill the beans must've been unendurable. -- The Atlantic has compiled some gorgeous winter photographs from around the globe... -- The Missus and I Netflicked Friends With Benefits recently. I'll try to put aside my Mila Kunis lust for a moment and give you a fair & honest review of the movie... Ok... Ok... Well that just isn't working. In a nutshell it's dumb and predictable but a lot of fun for date night with your sweetie. 1/3/12: -- This commerical makes me happy. And apparently it wasn't doctored, at least the music wasn't anyway... 1/2/12: -- Let's start the year off right with some iPad 3 rumors, shall we? -- Off to a banner start here in 2012, both boys woke up this AM and started barfing & crapping all over the place. But ever the optimist, I'm viewing this as a they're bound to get sick sooner or later this winter anyway, so let's get it over with right now sort of thing. See? Gonna be a great year. 1/1/12: -- It's official. I no longer do New Years resolutions. Ok fine, I'll allow myself this one that I'm stealing from a recently sighted dorky bumper sticker: Bark Less, Wag More. The rest will hopefully work itself out.		A few sites I dig: Slashdot Boing Boing Me on Twitter! MVY Radio WEHM Radio Ebert Galactica Watercooler Slate Waxy dooce ars technica On St. John TUAW National Geographic Monty Calvin & Hobbes Daring Fireball Jason Kottke Mashable IDEAS Wired NPR Wikipedia MacNN