Sherwood – Qu – iTunes
I’ve know the Sherwood guys for years, dating back to working on their first full length when they were on Sidecho. They write some ridiculously catchy songs with gorgeous harmonies (and even some gang vocals), and they are even better people than they are musicians.

The Summer Set – Love Like This – iTunes
The Summer Set was on The Militia Group for the release of their EP, and the potential of the band was immediately noticed. I’ve had the song Chelsea off “Love Like This” stuck in my head for like months, and finally I can try to get myself sick of it by listening to it on repeat all day. This album shows a realization of all that potential they showed on the EP, and gives you a promise for a pretty strong career in this whole thing.

What? You don’t like Summer? Or Pop music? Okay, I’ve got some wonderfully Americana feeling, fall enjoying, music for you also.
Andy Zipf – Our Voice Is A Weapon – iTunes
Another wonderfully simple, beautifully layered batch of songs from an artist on P is for Panda. Who knew Panda’s liked Americana so much? One of the best people in the world runs this label, so I think you can do your part to support good people/music by dropping 3 bucks on this.

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Some of the things you can actually go out and see right now (that at some point only lived on my computer) are MySpace layouts for Boys Like Girls and My Favorite Highway. Both these bands are amazing, and BLG have a new record out, that I’m sure you’ve heard a few songs on your radio from. MFH has a new video out, which you can see on said MySpace.

I’ve also been working on quite a few logos, print work and layouts that aren’t quite out in the public eye yet, and MySpace layouts for Andrew W.K. and The Bleach Works should be up next week. Recently I launched a website design I did for a film called The Road Less Traveled, it’s a pretty interesting concept and gives a whole new view of a part of the world we don’t all get to see.

I’d also like to bring back what may have been a feature of my blog and recommend some things, mainly because I think everyone could stand to hear some good music:
fun. – Aim & Ignite – This band has one of The Format guys in it, along with a cast of other talented musicians who all played in a few other bands and came together to create fun. I happen to think The Format’s debut was one of the most perfect complete albums ever, so at first I HATED fun., then I let it play and found that I couldn’t stop. I had to apologize to a couple good friends for ever trying to say that this record isn’t absolutely phenomenal, and even the songs I hated I now love. Lesson learned.

Third Eye Blind – Ursa Major – I never expected to be this addicted to a new 3eb record. Sure their catalogue is one that is constantly playing in my life, but did anyone really expect this resurgence? I wanted to feel this way about this record, for months now, but I knew I wouldn’t, yet here I am. I think my favourite track has to be Summer Town, it just gives you that feeling where you want to be inside, is full of classic 3eb lines, techniques, phrasing, etc that just make it the classic non-single 3eb fave. The pseudo ending is spectacular as well. If you have somehow missed everyone talking about 3eb again, you need to drive a few laps around town playing this album.

Ryan Adams – The other day I realised I haven’t listened to Ryan Adams in months, and then I proceeded to listen to it for 3 days straight. Perhaps it got me back to being a little too jaded, but I think it was exactly what my days needed. Next month will be filled with lots of Elliott Smith as well.

Hope everyone out there who still checks in on this nonsense of a website is well, I’d name you by name, but that would just get awkward.

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Mashable has a great post on their IE6 death wish, some of the intricacies of why IE6 is horrible, why developers need to start denying pages to load in it, and what the future holds for anyone using a real browser.

Mashable

Both Digg and YouTube have announced that they’re cutting back on IE6 support. Facebook already gives you suggestions for better browsers if you try to log in with IE6. You won’t be able to Digg articles or browse YouTube via IE6 in the near future.

If you are using IE6, please stop, use IE8 if you must or try Safari or Firefox out, you might be surprised at how the internet has changed these past 10 years. If you work in IT, make it a priority to upgrade your companies browsers, far more designers will respect you.

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I am not a huge fan of the NAACP. I understand why it was created, I understand all the good it has done, but in todays world I have seen them too quick to call anything racist and not really helping to advance anything. I recently saw an interview that got me excited about the NAACP again. Their President, one Benjamin Jealous (hello, awesome name), is multi racial, grew up on two coasts, was a Rhodes Scholar, his Grandfather was born a slave and died a Senator, and he is the youngest ever President of the NAACP.

So what did I like so much about this guy? What made me feel like he truly wants to better this world? For one, his multiple uses of the words ‘for everyone”. The lack of the NAACP getting behind other minorities and even majorities has always been my main criticism of it. A group like this was founded at a time where the need to focus on equality for “blacks” was the strongest, but this group could have evolved as they won battles towards civil rights for “blacks” and taken up more causes for all the other minorities. The NAACP is the iconic civil rights organization in this country, sure they don’t need to expand and change, but I feel like so much potential is wasted focusing mainly on only one “colour” of person.

Additionally Benjamin Jealous just seems real, I know this is naive on my part, but I feel like this guy gets “it”. It may be all political positioning, but this man is not just talking about all the injustices in the world, instead speaking on what more we can do to get the world where he hoped it would be. He is looking towards the future, while understanding his organizations past, and even acknowledges that the time has come for them to shift and adapt. It’s a refreshing stance to see.

I will not go as far to say that in todays world there is no discrimination towards minorities left, but I will also point out that there are people of all colour being discriminated against in this nation. I would love to see the NAACP formally become the National Association for the Advancement of People, and finally fulfill their potential to be fighting every civil rights injustice and helping making all of us better people in the process. Perhaps Mr. Jealous may be the one to begin that evolution.

Check out the first few minutes of the interview:

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Here is Ken Block showing some impressive maneuvers over at the Port of Los Angeles.

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I said I’m quiet about racism, that’s kind of a lie, I’m super against racism being made an excuse for everything. I think it perpetuates racism to always be playing that “card” and I think the NAACP is not actually “advancing” anything and is only focused on one colour. For examples of things I think are stupid cases of racism being inserted into a topic just to gain publicity, read how I felt about the Duke LAX case.

Back on track, so this article listed this racism connection:

Globe Campus

He had heard his white classmate throw an angry racial slur in his direction after an argument during a gym class game of speedball, and now the student was shoving him backward, refusing to retract the smear.

The white student swung first, hitting the 15-year-old with a punch to the mouth.

The 15-year-old heard his father’s voice running through his head: Fight only as a last resort, only in self-defence, only if given no choice, and only with the left hand.

His swing was short and compact, a left-handed dart that hit the white student square on the nose.

The nose broke under his fist, igniting a sequence of events – from arrest to suspension to possible expulsion – that has left the Asian student and his family wondering whether they are welcome in this small, rural and mostly white community north of Toronto, one that has been touched by anti-Asian attacks in the past.

Sounds horrible right? Not only did this kid do the right thing by finally sticking up for himself after probably months of torment, but he’s the only one being punished for a fight where both kids threw punches. Pretty tragic case, and I have this kids back, good for him for breaking this jerk’s nose.

So what was that racial slur?

Globe Campus

He said the boy called him a “fucking Chinese,” a comment he instantly knew was far from a joke.

Far from a joke? Yes. Hateful and mean spirited? Yes. Racist? I’m not sure. Granted I’m no form of asian, so I don’t know how offensive it really might feel to be called from the wrong country/region. I have one Korean friend who I bet has a great opinion on this, so maybe I’ll get that soon, but I do have some thoughts on this alleged racism.

First of all, were talking about essentially attacking this kid’s nationality. Yes that still falls under the broad scope of racism, but really what was racist here? Is anytime a nationality, ethnicity or race (yours or otherwise) attached to an insult racism? Is it the fact he was called an incorrect nationality that makes this racism? I don’t think so, but I’ll cover that in a bit. Would this kid have felt just as insulted if he had been called “fucking Korean”? I’m not sure of the answer to that last one, but if so then I have to disagree with this being racism.

Korean versus Chinese, again I’m an U.S. American with northern European decent, so maybe I can’t ever “get this”. However, I know Korea is right next to China, I know the people are probably, technically very much alike, perhaps even the same ethnicity. I know the Korean language (although origins debated) does have ties to the ancient Chinese languages (as does Japanese). We are talking about the differences of two nations that have more modern similarities than the U.S. and Mexico. I just don’t think calling someone an incorrect nationality that borders one’s actual nationality, while insulting them has to be a racist comment.

Was the supposedly “racist” kid ignorant? Hateful? Stupid for not knowing the difference between Korea and China? Probably yes on all accounts, but I didn’t read anything in that story that made it seem like he even knew he wasn’t calling him by his correct nationality, let alone making a comment to oppress based on that nationality. He was just a kid, a dumb kid, wanting to be mean and call the other kid a “fucking ANYTHING” and he got his nose broken for it.

The only things I can sort of (and by sort of I mean, not at all) relate to this is growing up “white” in America. I had to always check that “white” box, had no other identity, yet no one ever seemed to mind. Yeah, yeah, rough life I had, but I’m not “white” thank you, and I know I’m the majority here but it is a little insensitive to call me that. Is it a tolerance thing because I’ve been “white” for years? Is me being called white offensive? Should it be? Was it once? Could it be? Is it okay because someone “white” was the one who decided on describing us that way? All those things above are pretty much a ridiculous statement, even though I really should be able to express my ethnicity and family origins (Welsh-Irish, amongst other things) just as much as any non-white person.

Here is the only thing that can really hit close to home for me; Would I be offended if someone called me Scottish, or even a “fucking Scot”? Absolutely not, I’d just correct them, and then take up the battle of why this person just called me “fucking ANYTHING”.

I must say I’m really glad that these people at this school are speaking up about this incident, I just wish they were speaking up because a kid who fought back was expelled while the bully lives on, not because of some link to “racism”. I think it sort of cheapens what this is really about. It does seem like there are other real issues with racism towards asiatic people in this region, and I think they should address it and surely this will help those issues as well, but let’s allow kids to stand up for themselves and not be punished.

Just to lighten the mood as I finish up this way too long post, I’ll leave you with my favourite quote of the article.

The Korean Boy’s Father

“Personally, for my kid, I should move. But as a Canadian I cannot move.”

Who knew that Canada didn’t allow you to move? Ha. J, slash, K, Canada.

I’m really curious to hear what others think about this topic, and this is one of those things where I wish my blog actually got larger readership than it does, but I think this will stir a few minds a bit.

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Take it all in:

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So I’ve been busy, again. I got my tax extension turned in on time, so I’m doing better than some people, but it’s just an extension, so I’m doing worse than most. If you don’t appreciate the greatness of Twitter, and/or realise I don’t really say anything about what’s going on there anyway, and want to know what’s going on, this is your Huckleberry (I’mmm yuh Huhklebehhy).

I wrapped up a few MySpace re-designs for some great bands: My Favorite Highway (record was released yesterday, and you should own it), Green River Ordinance (FFO: The Fray, etc), The Urgency, and Young Love. I got up the website for a ska band from Boston called Westbound Train up, I’m not really into ska, and if you aren’t either realise these guys have much more of an old R&B sound to them. I also finally finished up the layout for a band I used to do a lot of work with called Parker Theory. I’ll get the cover up somewhere, sometime soon. I was also working a lot of sleepless nights on a secret logo project that I can’t really discuss yet, and don’t really know the outcome of, so you may never hear about it, but hey at least me writing this makes me appear “mysterious” right?

Other non-design things I have been up to include: Building an HD antenna with Kyle so we are one step closer to canceling cable, Finally fixing my Mail so that my Junk Mail will stay on the server (tip: don’t put periods in your account name), Got out to see the Ducks knock off the Sharks and fully reinvigorate my love for NHL playoff hockey, Bought more vinyl (still no turntable), and successfully got an external HD once deemed dead, back in the world of the living.

I’m off to get back into the work, nice seeing you again.

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It’s all very ironic to me when I see a band bringing these concerns. I understand why, I understand that even the supposed rebels making rock music feel threatened that people create successful songs and even sell out a room doing something “easier” than they do. Artists are supposed to be the ones pushing envelopes, artists are supposed to welcome change and innovation; so why are so many upset that people are finding new ways to make music that people like? In the end it’s all relative, sure you may not like a band like 3oh3! (not the band listed in the blog, but I see a lot of this type of response geared towards them from artists and fans), but people think they created (that’s the key word) a pretty catchy and fun couple of tunes. It doesn’t matter how, or the tools used, none of that crap actually makes any artist “cooler” than another (but some sure think it does).

It’s about creation, creating something, being far more unique than the boring old ways of a guitar and amp. Let me announce something, not everyone can program a hit song in a computer, just as not everyone can play the guitar like Hendrix. Sure, a lot of people try both, but a lot of people fail. The ones trying and failing doing it using a guitar are no more (or less) important than the ones trying and failing at programming a song in a computer. They are expressing themselves, they are creating, they are pushing boundaries. Maybe they are creating for commercial success you say? So what, so are plenty of bands.

What I really wonder, I wonder if these were the same things happening: when photography was invented, when they took classical instruments and created jazz, bluegrass, etc, when moving pictures were invented, when a broken amplifier accidentally invented the now standard distortion. You get it right? It’s innovation, and sometimes Rock N’ Roll seems a little old and dated with their mentality about the auditory realm.

Not all music is for everyone, but criticizing ANYONE trying, especially if the critic is a fellow creator, is a bit hypocritical (and can come off as jealousy). Just say it’s not for you and let the masses decide their final place in the scheme of things.

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Here is a lovely little example of the jewels this man is capable of cranking out, the entire post can be read here:

Bob Lefsetz

Love is a risk. If you’re not willing to get your heart broken, you’d better not play.

Then there are the heartbreakers, possessing some advantage the rest of us don’t, beauty or bucks, who flit from boy to boy or girl to girl, like a celebrity.

Then there are the self-conscious, who have to gin up their gumption to even speak with a member of the opposite sex.

If you want insight into the truth of this world, you’d be better off studying the imperfect, whose lives don’t follow a constant upward trajectory, their seemingly insignificant victories may seem minor to you, but they’re the tent poles of their lives.

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So Gene spoke, and it was like a commercial, and this guy Lefsetz didn’t like it. Bob Lefsetz is this guy who writes this letter (it’s a blog, let’s be honest) on the music industry. Somehow the entire industry thinks the guy is genius, but I don’t get it. He constantly thinks he has the solutions to save the music industry, criticizes others who actually act and try to do something different, and as far as I can find has never actually done anything to help save the industry. All that said, his RSS feed (which sucks by the way; who makes RSS feeds that you can only read 2 lines of? People who won’t be saving any industry, that’s who) is subscribed to and once in a while (when I find those 2 lines interesting enough) I read a full post.

You can go find the post on Gene if you want, but what you should do is give Gene your visit and see it and his answers over at Simmons Records website. They are amazing and great, and entertaining… everything we should be getting, and Gene wants to give us. My favourite exchange, because it’s absolutely more valid than 90% of the things Lefsetz says is as follows:

Bob Lefsetz

Just because you’re a big musical act, that doesn’t mean you’re a decent executive, that you can run a record company.

Gene Simmons

SAYS WHO. YOU? AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MAKE THESE ASSESSMENTS. WHAT’S YOUR QUALIFICATION, IN FACT, FOR SAYING ANYTHING…

I’d like to remind people who run the music industry of a few things that Gene seems to also feel; Just because you have been around the old music industry, doesn’t mean you can be succesful in the new music industry. Just because you ran a label or run a label or had success with an artist, doesn’t mean you will ever be successful again. Just because something worked once, doesn’t mean it is the pattern.

Artists should have people who believe in them as much as Gene believes in himself (and surely any band/artist he gets behind), and should also have people who are as brutally honest as Gene is and don’t give people ridiculous manipulative sells every time they have a conversation.

Gene Simmons is kind of refreshing.

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For those of you who don’t know, I’m out on tour with William Tell and Jimmy Robbins. I have to tell you guys Jimmy is one of the best new things in my life, and William is one of the best old. We are a pretty great band of travelers.

So we started out in Boston, Cambridge proper for 2 days (including a great stop at Drink), and then Greyhound’d down to NYC. We crashed in Williamsburg the first night, then mid-town at the Pod Hotel (bunkbeds, with Eames patterned bedspreads). The show in NYC was at the Highline, and it had a great turnout. From there we went to Hoboken, NJ. Now let me tell you, I have said a lot of bad things about NJ, and quite a few about Hoboken (I mean it does start with Hobo, and Eli Manning lives there), but I take it all back. After 2 days I’m a fan. It’s a great town where you can still grab a slice at random hours of the night, but escapes the complete craziness over the river.

Sometime after that we finally got a car, drove to Baltimore, stalked the “Ace Of Cakes” place, and wandered Fell’s Point. I wound up buying hat’s and old screens (screen printing screens), and we even cheered for the Buffalo Sabers (I can’t really explain). The next day I headed to the airport for a flight to Newark and then Orange County, only to be greeted by a delayed flight which would have made me miss my connection. So then I was on a Delta flight to Atlanta, then Orange County. Yeah, so then a ground stop in Atlanta kept me at BWI another 2 hours (I had already waited 3). Did iI mention I was flying back for my Father’s wedding the next day?

So I was a bit concerned I would be stuck forever in Maryland or Georgia, but eventually I made it back to California. The wedding was great, very musical oriented, and out in the Angeles National Forest. That evening I got on a plane for here, JFK. I promptly passed out, and that flight is now known as the Best Redeye Ever. Soon I will be heading to North Carolina to meet up with William and Jimmy, who played Philly and Raleigh while I was gone.

If you want to be involved in my insane travels, I will soon be in Charlotte, Wilmington, Delray Beach (Ft. Lauderdale), Orlando and Tampa. If you have ways to get me and 2 others into Disneyworld for free, you are especially encouraged to reach out. I really recommend you come out to a show if you are around one of these cities, it’s a great chance to see wonderful music in it’s barest form performed at levels the likes you may never see. At least stop by and familiarize yourself with William Tell and Jimmy Robbins. I’ll see you all soon.

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So I have been ridiculously busy in the last few weeks, and there are good reasons for that. I have a ton of work, and I will be over on the East Coast for a couple weeks. Why? Why not! I will be headed out to such cities as Boston, New York, Hoboken, New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Wilmington, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and Orlando. It’s quite a journey, and I will be on the road with my good friend William Tell and Jimmy Robbins. They will be playing perfect pop music, and I will be helping them in a multitude of ways, while still carrying on my normal load of design fun (though the past few weeks have made it so it will be a little lighter).

If you are on the lesser coast, and we are friends, we need to hang out. I’m really bad at calling people or writing them in advance, so just track me down and let’s get a drink. If you are one of my wonderful clients, fear not, I will have all the regular normal operations up and running, and you shouldn’t notice a thing.

See you soon. Miss your face.

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I ordered the Deluxe Edition of “Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust”, I got my download, I even got my physical, and then months went by. You sent me emails to let me know the LP was going out soon. I sent you an email to let you know my shipping info had changed, and if you could amend it, you replied that my order had been amended (I still have the email). I still am waiting, I still am wondering if I will ever get it, I still am a little bit annoyed that I have to be typing this.

Please contact me and let’s get this sorted out. I will invade Iceland if need be (mostly because it’s absolutely gorgeous, but if it helps this cause too, bonus).

Thank you.

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Currently the Associated Press is upset that an image that they hold the rights to was the basis for Shep’s illustration. They want license fees, and profit, and credit, and probably one of his children. The issue is actually pretty interesting in terms of copyright law. However frankly this case has no legs, and I’m surprised the AP is this hard up for cash (though no one in the newspaper world is exactly thriving).

The AP owns the image, they don’t own the moment in time the image was taken.

Fairey started with their image, and then he applied his now famous illustrative style. He didn’t simply threshold the thing in Photoshop, he didn’t auto-trace something in Illustrator. His work is no different than someone painting the image in a cubsim styling. Copyright simply doesn’t protect deviations in such things. Someone at AP has to know such things. If anyone should be able to claim rights to deviations based on photographs, it should be the person in the imagery. Kind of funny how they get no share of the AP’s licensing fees.

Anyway, that is my take on this whole thing, and I really hope Shep doesn’t back down or make a settlement. He deserves to stand alone as the source of such iconic imagery, and he is just the right person to stick it to the old media.

Also if I may rant…
I find it hilarious how the old media has talked about him as this “L.A. street artist”, like he is some ruffian who slums through streets stealing bread and spreading wheat paste wherever he goes. Do they not understand the guy went to THE premiere design school in America (RISD), do they not understand the guy owns his own clothing line, do they not understand the guy’s first studio he formed is responsible for such things as the Mt. Dew logo and the Mozilla logo, do they not understand his current studio is responsible for the “Walk The Line” poster and the cover art for The Smashing Pumpkins comeback album? This is no “street artist”, this is one of our generations most heralded graphic designers, this guy will be included along names like Bass, Lubalin, Rand, Glaser, Carson and Sagmeister.

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THE 20.5:

1. I get Deja Vu… a lot. Usually about feeling like I’m getting Deja Vu. (If you follow me on Twitter, you now have Deja Vu!)
2. The best Death Cab For Cutie album is “The Photo Album” end of discussion, this fact also known as “Lindsay lies”.
3. My first concert ever was The Beach Boys, 4th of July, 1984, National Mall, District of Columbia.
4. The only computer I have ever had in my home (from a child on) has been made by Apple.
5. I recently hung up artwork on the walls of my place after living here 4 years.
6. I have had this strange quest to be “mysterious” for years (less is more, right?), the best response was from the girl I was dating (at the onset of said quest) which was… laughter.
7. My wallet is bigger than yours.
8. Some people have magazine subscriptions, I have a Quarterly subscription, a DVD subscription, and a book clup subscription. I heart MCSWNYS.
9. I have a long standing addiction to WB/CW shows I should have no part loving. It started with “The Creek”, and has included “Smallville”, “Veronica Mars”, and “Gossip Girl”.
10. There isn’t much that is better than a fresh loaf of Boudin’s sourdough bread.
11. I played Lacrosse and Ice Hockey in High School, in San Diego, CA. I was a New Englander at heart I guess.
12. Speaking of New England: I have always had a fascination with JFK, I love the Red Sox, I hate the Patriots, I love Boston.
13. I unabashedly love pop music, of all types, that other people try to pretend isn’t pure hits.
14. As a kid (11-15ish), I couldn’t fall asleep to anything but the radio. Not a CD even. I had to hear a talking voice at some point or else my mind would spin into a labyrinth of thoughts on life and death.
15. I firmly believe I could save entire companies if they would just consult me on everything they do.
16. I tend to get infatuated with girls from far away cities, okay infatuated might be putting it lightly.
17. I’m horrible at filing, but quite organised.
18. I should mention, I use the Queen’s English whenever possible.
19. Almost all of my family teach, at one point I was going to fall in line as well, but wound up a designer. Lately I have the desire to be the jaded professor at Art School who: tells everyone their projects are horrible, everyone hates but realises years later was vital to their succes (i.e. Winter Sorbeck).
20. I’m great at buying old cameras, I’m horrible at buying new film.
20 1/2. I hate committing to making plans, except… (How else am I supposed to make a half fact?)

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Or go catch them on tour with some band nobody has ever heard of… Fall Out Boy.

Speaking of bands you should listen to, MySpace, me name dropping friends of mine in NYC, and what I’m listening to right now: Another wonderful friend Frank got me hooked on this band More Amor. Their track “Young Hollywood” will be stuck in my head for 3 weeks, at the least. I recommend buying the album off iTunes, because I did, and it would do you some good to be more like me.

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Here is a brilliant interactive look at how the Zip Code system works.

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The man has musical performers on his show and doesn’t hold up the CD, he holds up vinyl. Gorgeous, circles of black, grooves of uncompressed, vinyl.
And it’s not just once in a while

It’s always.

It must be show policy. I wonder if a band is allowed to play if they can’t get the vinyl there? I wonder if he loves Squeeze’s “Singles” on vinyl as much as I do. Scotch & Squeeze, that’s all you need.

In related news, will someone sell me a record player. I’m sick of losing bids on ebay.

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Most of my clients are actually some of the greatest people ever, so I’m pretty fortunate in this one. However, I have in the past encountered these people, and I suppose someone had to take over their design work when I moved on, so this is for you, whomever you are.

And those clients.

Credit

In general I think this is something most people should be familiar with, designers are used more and more, and I think it’s still one of the largest growing professions. Chances are you may hire a designer, and chances are, you may not be familiar with the status quo. People really don’t understand what it’s like to be making a living designing, they think it’s some novelty, like you must do something real for a living and thus they can treat the whole relationship as a hobby. Some of the ways I have seen clients treat designers is just mind boggling and wouldn’t fly in any other industry. In reality all these things are just good business, why some people choose bad business, that one is still a mystery to me.

P.S. I read somewhere recently how overused of a literary device the one line paragraph was, so of course I made it my goal to use it more. Hence, you will be seeing it a lot. Will this be the end of my run on sentences, could be, but probably not, I mean why would I want to do that when I could just combine the two for even more amazing played out incorrectness?

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That there is the cover of The Guardian’s G2 section that ran earlier in the week. One of my favourite people on earth David Carson did the design, and inside is a multitude of other designers takes on POTUS Obama’s speeches. Nice little feature for the design geek and/or political dork.

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60-something degrees.

My head felt like it was 80-something. Now I’m no scientist, but I think this could be something. So I deduced I had a fever. I refused to medicate myself, and choose to push through. I’m starting to realise this has been going on the past week, and has been what has cut into my productivity lately. I should have realised mid day exhaustion wasn’t normal, but I kind of enjoyed the naps.

So anyway, like a good friend of mine said:

Barney Stinson

“You see, whenever I start feeling sick, I just stop being sick and be AWESOME instead. True story.”

So this little nugget of Awesome comes in handy on days like today.

And yes, I realise Barney is a character, but if you met my friends you would know some fiction is clearly taking a cue from my reality.

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Anyway Taylor Momsen who plays Jenny (who regularly steals scenes and is pretty much a lock for her own spin off, duh), was recently caught running from the Paparazzi. I know it’s a viral ad for NIke, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.

Okay, I’m gonna go back to work and try to pretend I just didn’t gush on my Blog about Gossip Girl.

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My good friend Brandon Chamberlain works with an artist named Jeremy Larson who makes some pretty spectacular music himself, and will be sitting in with MuteMath on the keys tonight as they play Leno. If their other late night performances were a sign, this will be another can’t miss.

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Nice to see Yahoo! pushing it’s reach and offering up an amazingly useful webapp for free. Well done Y!.

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Sidenote: I once told a girl who I was dating, or had dated, or was going to date (I’m really not sure the time period in it all) that I was working on being mysterious, she laughed at me. She was right.

So if you are up to be a part of something that may require a few minutes of your time now and again, possibly a postage stamp, and will make 2009 better (or at the least more interesting) shoot me an email (you should have it) and include your postal address.

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1. Queen Latifah.
2. The whole, “high five the people as you go to the mic” thing.
3. Kid Rock over Coldplay.
4. The constant “Obama won the election” references. Like the actors did anything.
5. Ellen over Letterman.
6. Robin Williams.
7. Two And A Half Men.
8. Everything else, except The Dark Knight.

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So anyway, in May I returned a 5 month old email to John and he only waited 6 months to reply to me. Way to out do me, John. I’m really horrible at getting back to those kind of emails, because I feel like I can’t just fire off 3 sentences like I can with family and friends I see all the time, so I hold no ill will. John let me know about a project he had recently compelted after teaching himself how to screenprint. The concept was a series of art prints that represent each state as a plate of food. I think it came out pretty spectacular, of course it will be 6 months until I let John know that, but for now check out his work. The United Plates.

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Best Songs of 2008
1. Third Eye Blind – Red Star
2. Mike Dunn And The Kings Of New England – The Edge Of America*
3. The Jealous Sound – Got Friends
4. The Summer Set – …In Color
5. Coldplay – Prospekt’s March

My only real commentary on this is that people should put out more EP’s. Start an EP label, something.

*This may have not come out in 2008, I may not care about silly facts like that.

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Best Songs of 2008
1. Augustana – Sweet And Low
2. Gavin Rossdale – Love Remains The Same
3. Mates Of State – The Re-Arranger
4. My Favorite Highway – Getaway Car
5. Jack’s Mannequin – The Resolution
6. Estelle (ft. Kanye West) – American Boy
7. Katy Perry – Hot N’ Cold
8. Kanye West – Heartless
9. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
10. All-American Rejects – Another Heart Calls

Running Commentary (with no care in the world for grammar) follows:
I still stand by the statement I made after my second listen of “Sweet And Low”, which was something along the lines of it being the best song the band has ever written, and for those of you that know me know how Augustana’s “Boston” affects me, so that is really saying something. Gavin Rossdale renewed my faith in him in one single, single. You probably haven’t heard the My Favorite Highway song, but you should, it should be huge if that album ever gets a proper push. I’m not sure how many times this year I was standing in a booth at a club singing “American Boy”, but it was a lot. The late pushes this year were made by Kanye’s second single, and a song that probably won’t be a single by AAR, but it’s gorgeous.

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Best Albums of 2008
1. Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
2. The New Frontiers – Mending
3. Katy Perry – One Of The Boys
4. My Favorite Highway – How To Call A Bluff
5. Augustana – Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt
6. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
7. Denison Witmer – Carry The Weight
8. Girl Talk – Feed The Animals
9. Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs
10. We The Kings – We The Kings

I know my list is full of lame pop albums, I know it’s not as cool as your list with Vampire Weekend, Kings of Leon and Bon Iver. I realise my lameness in full, it’s who I am, I love pop music. All those great indie bands write some brilliant songs, but rarely do I ever find myself with a hook stuck in the head that can only be cured by singing along to hits like I do these artists listed above. Forgive me, all the indie hits blend together into an un-craved mass of great music that lies un-played in my iTunes.

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The stats this year are in, and I had an incredibly lucky year. I am in 4 Fantasy Football leagues. In the two leagues that have divisions I won both, finished first in one division-less league and second in the other. I didn’t really do as well as that sounds though, most of those were last minute runs to win the divisions the last week of the regular season.

Somehow I managed to make it to the Championship in all 4 games, which is pretty much unheard of, this is a game of 90% luck. So it’s off to the finals I go, where I will probably be losing 2/4 or something (hey, it’s no naked man).

Surely in a few weeks I will be suffering fantasy withdrawals, but I think I have an idea for a Super Fantasy 2009 league that incorporates players from every sport in the year. Who is in?

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Today one of Brad’s site is featured as Communication Arts Webpicks. It’s the site he worked on for Wind-Up Records, I’ve gushed about this site ever since it went live, and I think it’s the first time in ages that a website has really struck me as perfectly executed and innovative. It’s what the web should be.

Anyway, everyone should go check it out if you haven’t yet.

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Two Pacific Northwest film makers decided to start experiencing the life their cat lives. It’s becoming an ongoing project tht has garnered a bunch of press, and more importantly has returned some absolutely gorgeous photographs.

You can check out the Flickr of the Cat Cam here.

Sadly I may have to contend that anyone with a camera really is a photographer.

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PLEASE NOTE: We are not looking for a college student or hobbyist or a social networker who stays up all night and surfs the Internet with their friends and designs graphics out of their bedroom for t-shirts. ONLY PROFESSIONALS SHOULD APPLY.

Now I’m not simply being defensive because I’m writing this from the same room as my bed (though this side of the room is clearly business only), but that whole combination of words is just so out of touch with reality. I know some of the most talented designers around, and almost every one of them designs graphics for t-shirts out of their bedroom, surfs the internet with friends and stays up all night. Artists tend to not exactly live the 9-5 office lifestyle, and you would think anyone wanting a truly talented designer would realise that.

Good luck with your production artist, nameless medical company.

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Here is the wrap-up:
I was sick for a good solid 2 weeks, most of it came from breathing pure ash from some of the lovely fires in Southern California, I finally recovered the week of Thanksgiving, but was way behind on work (thank you to everyone whose project was delayed, your grace is wonderful).

I got back on the ball and wrapped a ton of stuff up the past 2 weeks, including a 3 day trek to San Diego to see family/friends whom I love, and a 2 day trek to AZ to ride along with Tell as he played ASU. It was all great, and we officially decided AZ may be the best food state ever. Think about it, they get the west coast (In-N-Out, Del Taco, etc) and the Middle America (Waffle House, Chick-Fil-A, Sonic) along with other random things from states far off. Put a White Castle out there and my vote is in.

I just wrapped up William Tell’s MySpace the other day, if you haven’t been by lately he has quite a few new songs up that you should listen to. This little project was a fun nightmare. Lots of work overwriting MySpace and figuring out stupid little one line code issues, but it’s only the first time that this will kill me.

Also not too long back I finally got up a semblance of a website for Department Three. I have been promising this for years, and now finally some of my recent work is up to view at the studios site.

I’m working on a ton of other things, filing away files, getting caught up on emails, do if you are wondering why I haven’t replied to something, be patient. In the works are a few websites, some branding work, and a few more MySpace re-designs.

In other news, my friends at Hozell are having a warehouse sale this weekend. It’s today and tomorrow, and it also includes WeSC another great brand I’m a huge fan of. Info is on the MySpace linked there (because they didn’t want to put it on their MySpace?), and i’ll be there in a few minutes. If you are in LA/OC you should head down and hang.

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You see, in what many are claiming to be the cliffs of calamity in Detroit, their CEO’s all flew private jets over to D.C. for these meetings. I sure want my tax dollars going towards that. I know a lot of peoples jobs in Michigan, and a lot of other states that are home to suppliers, are at stake here, and I want this to turn out well for all those hard working people. However, this is not the case of this economy causing a dangerous situation for Detroit, but this economy presenting an easy escape from years of screwing up.

Gary Ackerman (D – Queens)

“Couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class? Or jet-pooled? It would have at least sent the message that you do get it.”

For years I have had issues with the U.S. auto manufacturers. They pay their CEO’s ridiculous amounts for constant failures, they took years and years to adopt green vehicles, they were blind to the fact that Toyota was doing innovative things and balancing their product offerings. These companies should all fire their entire management and hire a few Harvard Business graduates that can think in modern times. I know, I use that plan for everything, but why do people think that the leaders of companies who have come up in the old way and fail will succeed somewhere else? When will there be discrimination laws about companies having to interview 2 candidates under 40?

The current CEO’s also turned down a gesture of good will that was brought up to them. When asked if they would take a symbolic $1 salary, much like Lee Iaccoca did years ago to help revive Chrysler, Ford and GM’s CEO’s said no. GM’s Wagoner took home 14 million last year; Ford’s Mulally grabbed a cool 22 million. For the record, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said he would take the $1 a year salary, but it was reported in 2007 that his salary would be $1 a year and then incentive based, so he is (and kinda isn’t) doing his part. Nardelli also is probably still living nice off that 201 million severance he got from Home Depot.

The U.S. “Big Three” in the past 3 years combined for 67 billion in losses, and it’s just the economy, right? I’m gonna spell this out for any Fortune 500 board members than might accidentally happen across my blog. No one, and I mean no one, is worth 15 million dollars a year. I don’t care who they are, or what they are doing, it CAN NOT be considerably more than the level of work you would get out of a person being paid 2 million. Give your CEO’s profit sharing all you want, I have no issues with that, but no base salary deserves to be that high.

You want to save these companies? Here is how. If you are a stockholder, write in your unhappiness with the board and CEO, the two public companies ARE accountable to all you millions of shareholders who have been fleeced in your stock value and owe it to you to stop spending money they don’t have. Cerberus should be able to figure out this thing for their own and save Chrysler, or sell it off in pieces to one of the Japanese auto makers. That is the other reality, Toyota or Honda can jump in the game and purchase on of these failing companies, though we may all be better off in a world without the original “Big Three”.

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Because of such celebratory events I am bringing you free music. From two different places.

Firstly, a lot of my time has been spent working on a few projects for William Tell, and part of that pile is up on the internet today. Right here, if you sign up you get a free song, and lot’s more to come. It’s a new marketing device that we have dubbed, “bribery”. The song is called “Gone Gone Gone” and it has some great Paul Simon moments in it.

Secondly, a lot of the rest of my time is spent talking to the one and only Chad Pearson. He has a record label, and they give you free music. He is currently living in a red state, but let’s look past that for a moment. FREE MUSIC! Okay, so yeah, his label sampler is now up for free on Amazon MP3. It features some great artists whom I truly love, and is just the right kind of mood for Fall days (Not that I know what Fall is like). A little more mature sound blasting from your windows, a little more proof you are cooler than people think.

So enjoy the music, and the new President, and if I could give away this for free I would.

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That’s right, 7-11 did their own polls, and they predict a huge sweep for Obama. The greatest part of this map is how they just leave out a bunch of states no one cares about. Ha. If he actually won that large of the popular vote, he could beat out the all time record of the popular vote, held by… you guessed it… Warren G. Harding. I must add for truthiness, that there are ZERO 7-11′s to be found in Arizona, I tried one summer, drove into like 7 towns, it’s Circle K’s only.

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It’s hard to really write out my formula for Obama, I don’t necessarily think it’s about his stance on this small issue or that small issue, I think it’s more powerful than that. Some people like to call basing decisions on feeling or emotion and not the issues ignorant, but I am not voting issues. I’m voting for the person that has changed this country already, just through their campaign, I’m voting for the guy whose platform is “Hope”, is “Change”.

Anyway, on the internets I found this great article explaining the Obama “effect” on another personal level. This echoes so many thoughts that I have I had to share it. It may not make sense to everyone to vote for someone “on a hunch”, but I think it’s just about as good as basing it off propaganda and lies.

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If you loved The Jealous Sound’s other 2 releases, you need this. If you loved Knapsack, you need this. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, start here, you need this. This may be the last we hear of them, or it may not.

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For those of you not in the know:

Google Gears

Gears is an open source project that enables more powerful web applications, by adding new features to your web browser:

Go get you some, right here.

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After my moment of jubilation, and my pestering Tell about his Obama 08 BlackBerry application (or lack there of), came the most perfect reply ever.

Tell

“I hear John McCain is coming out with one for a NEXTEL.”

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Computerworld

Several digital images that Microsoft Corp. has posted on its Web site to trumpet its new “I’m a PC” advertising campaign were actually created on Macs, according to the files’ originating-software stamp.

Four of the images that Microsoft made available on its PressPass site today display the designation “Adobe Photoshop C3 Macintosh” when their file properties are examined. The images appear to be frames from the television ads that Microsoft will launch later today.

This one just makes me giggle over and over and over.

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Before I start posting videos that make John McCain look silly, understand I LOVE John McCain, he has fought for some amazing things in his life (this country being one of them) and has brought about some great change. I also would have voted for this man 4 or 8 years ago, but now it is too late. I fear he has lost a lot of his edge, I fear he isn’t completely relevant anymore (for a lack of a better word). The world has changed, politics needs to change, I don’t necessarily want someone leading this country towards new relationships with the rest of the world with the experience of an old world and old politics. Sorry.

John McCain speaking on the economy.

“These are very, very difficult times.”
“The fundamentals of our economy are strong”

John, seriously? I threw that first quote in so it wouldn’t look like I was pulling out only the negative from his statement. He also acknowledges these are very difficult times, awesome, he can see the obvious. What everyone misses about this financial crisis is the fundamentals of our economic structure are what are most wrong. Whether we talk about the fundamentals that allow finance sector businesses government aid or golden umbrellas for the CEO’s of failing corporations, the fundamentals are what led us here. For years things went under regulated, Greenspan kept coming out to see his shadow every few months, CEO’s took risk after risk because they have nothing to lose (to read a great article on this topic, head over to my good friend Mark Cuban’s blog) and millions to pocket if they are fired, and our society became speculators who react more to media coverage than to actual trends. Those things combined (leadership of financial sector jobs, regulation of the businesses that drive our economy, the Government control of interest rates and funds, investor confidence and competence) are pretty much the fundamentals of our economy. Any one of those things changes and it affects the economy in huge drastic swoops, all of them change at once and we get to where we are today.

After John McCain’s campaign then put out an ad that said “The economy is in crisis”, Matt Lauer (and all of us) needed an explanation.

John McCain on The Today Show
“Well it’s obviously true that the workers of America are the fundamentals of our economy, and our strength, and our future.”

“There is nothing wrong with the workers of America, I believe they are the fundamentals”

Sure those quotes sound bad out of context, but that last one up there sounds even worse when you hear where Lauer is trying to lead him before he says that. Lauer gives McCain a complete chance to make the statement about “the fundamentals causing the nightmares we are seeing” in the economy, and McCain just clings on to the fact that the workers are the fundamentals.

A lot of people always bring up flip-flopping politicians, and I’m sure McCain is grasping to not look like he flip-flops on his statements. However it also makes him look unintelligent and stubborn, and makes him look like someone who cannot find advisors to keep him up to date on relevant topics. I hated the fact the Kerry flip-flopped so much 4 years ago, but what I hated even more about Kerry was that the person he was as a Presidential Candidate was a dumbed down, manipulated version of the man who stood proudly speaking in protest of the Vietnam War. McCain is starting to look like a shell of his former self as well, John, come out and say you see the things fundamentally wrong with our economy, come out and say you are learning to use a computer, stop being so afraid of a little change, be it of mind, opinion or technology.

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The Huffington Post

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan offered a woeful outlook of America’s economic situation on Sunday, saying the crisis with the country’s financial institutions was as dire as he had ever seen in his long career, and predicting that one or more of those institutions would likely collapse in the near future.

“Oh, by far,” Greenspan said, when asked if the situation was the worst he had seen in his career. “There’s no question that this is in the process of outstripping anything I’ve seen and it still is not resolved and still has a way to go and, indeed, it will continue to be a corrosive force until the price of homes in the United States stabilizes. That will induce a series of events around the globe which will stabilize the system.”

Alan Greenspan covered all the topics, except the fact that he is pretty much single handedly responsible for what is happening to our economy currently, but hey that isn’t really important right?

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P.S. Go to hell Pacey.

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As a bonus to all of you who like good music. A new song, from the genius that is Gasoline Heart. You are all welcome.

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This is for you. Holiday Parade presents “Slam Crunk”, the newest in a bunch of white guys remixing through guitars and instruments to bring you a jewel of pop goodness. It’s free to download at PureVolume, so do it.

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I bugged just about every person I know who works in design/programming, and I thank you all for your amazing knowledge filled response of “yeah, I dunno, that’s weird”. Seriously, you people really are aces, all kidding aside.

So the blog is back, the google warnings should come down soon, and as a bonus prize I brought…

Twitter Updates Back! Weekly digest, which is what I wanted to begin with. Dollar, dollar bills y’all.
Enjoy.

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Just head over to Joel’s blog to see the video.

I have a newsflash “peaceful protestors” of Denver, the moment you left the park (where coincidentally the law enforcement had no issue with you) and started marching down roads made, not for people to march down, but for automobiles to drive down; the moment you started moving at law enforcement; the moment you were yelling aggressively; the moment you were running to find a new street to clog; you were no longer peaceful. You assembled, it was fine, and you could have stayed their with your signs and nonsense, but you chose marching. It’s funny, in California, I’m not allowed to cross a street in a downtown city unless I use a cross walk, but these people believe they should be able to randomly march down the entire street?

I wish people in this country would realise they don’t have the right to “march down the fucking street”. I wish people would not try to spin the fact that they declined to use the approved protest areas that were set up so a city could function while people would still be able to protest. I wish people would not spin the fact that due to their selfish act of marching down a street wherever they wanted with 2000 of their closest friends they are making other peoples lives miserable and delaying them from getting to/from work and going about their lives. I wish people protesting aggressively and yelling at law enforcement would stop acting like they weren’t hoping to be maced.

Protests are so futile, it’s one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Protesting is about the same to me as wearing an American flag pin on your lapel. Up front, you made this big show, and you can talk to your friends about how involved you are in changing politics, but in the end you have done nothing. Get out and do something, call people, write letters, run for office, find us a better option and help get them elected; don’t just wave a sign and act like you are making any sort of impact besides trying to get your so-called movement a little press. The press who feeds off drama and has probably pushed more people towards this sort of thing with it’s choice of what gets covered, and it will get covered for that day, yet protestors think the press will suddenly stop ignoring the issues that they help our government perpetuate in the days that follow. There are so many countless ways better to bring change to the world.

I have seen firsthand for 2 years the kind of recklessness these protests bring with them, and those were formally organised city approved protests through Downtown Los Angeles. On one of these occassions I couldn’t even go into work because the traffic re-routing simply couldn’t get me to my office.

I’m pretty sure at some point people need to use some common sense and realise there are other tax paying citizens who might have issue with their lives being disrupted by a street full of people marching.

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I love Heroes, it’s probably my favourite show on television (though HIMYM is pretty even), but this whole thing really is ridiculous. I guess it’s what happens when you can’t use union actors and union directors and union writers and union key grips and union catering.

Go ahead, watch the webisodes of Heroes.

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Anyway, the text said…

AT&T & Apple

“An important software update for iPhone 3G has been available on iTunes since this past Monday,” the message reads. “To get it, simply sync your iPhone 3G with iTunes and click the ‘Check for Update’ button.”

I updated on Monday afternoon, and of course I found no change to the performance of my phone. Kind of interesting that they would be so persistent about an update if it wasn’t supposed to be the fix.

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It’s an exciting and challenging time, and I will surely be hitting up each and every one of my friends about anyone you might know who could be my next client. It’s tough out here in the design game, but so refreshing to be scrambling over something and having to sling my trade everywhere I go.

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I realised this was too great not to share with the world, so here it is, minus most of my personal info.

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Just thought I would fill you all in on some places my photos are appearing lately. Thanks to all the people who let me capture their souls on electronics.

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He will be reading from his book “What It Is: What It Is” and Filter Magazine is presenting the events, so it should be quite a wonderful literary event. Check out Flavorpill if you are in LA or NYC for all the event info.

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The Register

That dream? To produce a desktop more beautiful to ordinary users than legions of Apple programmers supping on the milk of chief exec Steve Jobs’ alleged brilliance are capable of producing.

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All the prints of my photographs will be 30×20, and I will post the day of the event the pieces that are there, maybe. I’m really excited for everything Chad is doing with Panda, I’m absolutely in love with the musicians he is working with, I’m thrilled to be a part of an art show where my work will be completely showed up by some of the most amazing artists out there today who I am also honoured to call my friends (therefore, such as.

If you are in the Atlanta area, you should make it out to this. I was trying to work out an appearance myself, but I think I will wait until the fall to fully experience the ATL.

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Do you ever get those messages out of the blue on MySpace or Facebook from an old HS (or earlier, or later) friend, whom you truly have some good memories of, and have once over the past 10 years wondered how they are? Yeah, me too.

Here are how they go:

Catching Up

Subject:
Long Time (Or some other vague title about how you haven’t talked in years)
Body:
Hey _________, wow it’s been like __ years since we have _______. How have you been? Are you still __________________? It’s crazy finding all our old __________ on __________________. Did you hear ________________ is ___________________?

I have been _____________, just _____________ and living in __________________. I am really glad I found you, we HAVE to ___________ soon. You have to catch me all up on _________.

And sometimes in there they slide in some guilt trip, like it’s your fault you forgot to get info about the 10 year reunion, or that it’s your fault you never come see them when you go home.

I get these, all the time, and even though a lot of people would assume I would treat then with attitude I am presenting here, I don’t. I love these messages, well used to, I love these people, well used to. I have noticed a strange pattern, and it goes a little something like this (hit me). I will write back, and I write back a well thought out response that I take a portion out of my day to sit down without distractions and write. A couple paragraphs, not much I know, but I do my best to truly try to re-connect with these people.

Then you know what happens? I never get a reply back. Maybe I don’t prod them enough to warrant one, maybe I don’t ask enough questions about _______ being _________, I really don’t know.

I have always been the kind of person who was accepting that there are certain times in your life where people you are close with are meant to leave, and new ones will soon be around; moments like these remind me why those people had their time in my life years ago.

So in conclusion, thanks, but no thanks. If you really care about me, we probably found a way to connect before the MySpaces, Facebooks and LinkedIns of the world were around. I’ve had the same phone number for 6 years, the same email address for 6 years (though be on the lookout, that is changing) and I’ve lived in Los Angeles County for 4 years, if you wanted to catch up or missed those old times, it isn’t hard to find a way. If you are just gonna message me to feel like you fulfilled a good deed by reconnecting with an old friend, and then just not even have the urge to reply even 3 words to a conversation you started, just read my blog and pretend like we are still friends.

Optional Bonus Activity:
Pretend above “Catching Up” conversation is a mad lib, post your most creative version as a comment, and the winner will get a special gift. Oh, and let’s keep it clean, it’s takes zero creativity to turn that thing sexual, it takes genius to come up with clean humour. Remember, this blog is a class act.

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A large movement in support of this law came from a Harvard Center study that everyone and their brother quotes as proof that this law will save lives. I decided to steal a pull from Wired, who ran an article about this law, and feel similarly to myself.

Wired

Studies by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (.pdf) suggest 2,600 people are killed and as many as 330,000 people are injured each year in the United States in cellphone-related driving accidents.

The part I really wish Wired would have brought up is as follows; How many of those 2600 people killed and 330,000 injured were in accidents involving bad drivers, speeding drivers, etc.? People don’t like to think about those sorts of things, they like to try to solve problems by eliminating things coincidentally involved. I’m not saying this is a horrible idea, and that it won’t help people to focus on the road, I’m just saying the real problem is the people who don’t focus on the road, not 1 of multiple things they could do that could distract them.

This is much like the logic that if you don’t allow kids to wear certain clothes, they will behave better and be more focused. People should start looking at the cause, to be able to solve the problem they have with the effect. It’s simple physics.

Things still legal to do in the car; put on makeup, shave, make out, wind your watch, read, type, write, search your iPod for “99 Problems” by Jay-Z, hit and/or yell at your kids, search through papers in the backseat, watch DVD’s, etc., etc.

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a href=”http://www.collegehumor.com/videos”>funny videos at CollegeHumor

a

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Now that we have all the title possibilities out of the way.

Just the other night Kyle and I were discussing the ridiculousness of the V-neck. It’s pretty much a plague the likes of Von Dutch hats. Sure the V is comfortable, and shows off all that cool chest hair we have worked years to have, but it doesn’t mean it’s applicable for all moments of life. If you think wearing a Deep V out to social events is a good idea, you should probably just take it to new levels and rock a tank top next time you are heading over to Les Deux (Les Deun’t? Hahaha).

The fine folks at Radar apparently listen to our conversations and decided to write an article about the “Deep V”, I have provided the below image and my favourite pull quote to make your life better.

Radar

So, at least for a little while longer, the question isn’t crewneck versus V-neck, it’s V-neck versus aggressive V-neck. Just be careful how low you go. “It’s getting pretty close to being a vest as it is,” Polk points out. “It’s, like, another three inches and that’s a vest, motherfucker.”

“Aggressive V-neck” may be the best description ever, well that is until you look at this image:

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This is Remi Gaillard:

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/21/extreme-urban-soccer/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/20/dropbox/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/20/dropbox/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:38:58 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=387 I was graciously included on the Dropbox Beta team. Dropbox is a pretty great idea that helps you keep all your files in sync across multiple computers. It has a similiar use to the iDisk function that .Mac users would be familiar with, only it is more focused with keeping the files locally and then mirroring those folders to a server and then push those files to any other computers (as opposed to .Mac where most people have it set up to just connect to the server to get files, though you can select to keep a copy locally).

I have been playing around a bit the last few weeks to see my thoughts on it, and I really have to say it’s absolutely great. If I didn’t already love .Mac (soon to be Me.com/MobileMe), I would definitely be using this service daily. It’s only downfall is the 2GB space, which I am sure once this thing grows (or someone acquires them) will be opened up to 10gb or so. I’m honestly shocked Google hasn’t created something like this years ago, here’s hoping they acquire them, it would be a lovely addition to the Google Apps suite.

Anyway, if you want in on the beta, I have some invites, let me know.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/20/dropbox/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/19/new-world-moral-order/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/19/new-world-moral-order/#comments Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:39:07 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=363

This is a very interesting map, created by Maurice Gomberg in 1941 (published 1942). Interesting the concepts written along with the map. It’s a shame a 3 branched “world police” couldn’t be established to help the betterment of mankind everywhere. Even if it could have, would it have helped?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/19/new-world-moral-order/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/18/mayer-may-not/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/18/mayer-may-not/#comments Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:45:58 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=491 Dan Crittenden’s recent twitter post reminded me that I never posted the brilliance that is the following:

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/18/mayer-may-not/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/17/firefox-3/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/17/firefox-3/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:33:08 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=386 Does anyone understand why the version of Firefox 3 is “2.0.0.14″? Mozilla, if you are calling it Firefox 3, make the version 3.X.X., thank you.

EDIT: Answer, because Mozilla decided to direct me to the Firefox 2 download. Because their servers were probably on fire or something? That was awesome. Step your game up!

So since I am ranting about Firefox 3, you probably either already knew, or just realised, that it officially launched today. So go download it, if you are into helping set stupid download records, or just won’t admit how great Safari is.

I will admit, Mozilla has made some great strides, and I can actually stand to look at Firefox now and not think I was suddenly moved to a PC. It’s now my official, backup, testing browser. I lessthanthree Safari.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/17/firefox-3/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/14/try-giving-them-some-credit/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/14/try-giving-them-some-credit/#comments Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:48:00 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=378 Our country is so incredibly lost in how it treats young people. It’s no wonder young people in America feel lost or the need to act out. No one possibly thinks these people are capable of greatness.

What happened to all the faith being in young people? What happened to giving everything to the future generations so that they could better the world far more than we imagined? What happened to teaching good decision making and ethics, as opposed to just giving up and blaming the failures on things like the clothes people wear? Why are scare tactics and propaganda existing in out educational system?

The final straw to me came when I read this. Seriously? I cannot even fathom a situation that I can somehow try to draw a parallel to for this one. It’s just unheard of, it’s just shocking that someone thought this was a good idea, it’s just utterly disrespectful.

MSNBC

On a Monday morning last month, highway patrol officers visited 20 classrooms at El Camino High School to announce some horrible news: Several students had been killed in car wrecks over the weekend.

… Many who heard the news of the 26 deaths between classes, were left in the dark until the missing students reappeared hours later.

The most tragic part about this whole story is that everyone seems to still think it was a good idea and that it will save lives. Are you kidding me? You people are a joke.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/14/try-giving-them-some-credit/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/09/why-john-mayer-is-one-of-my-favourite-people-on-earth/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/09/why-john-mayer-is-one-of-my-favourite-people-on-earth/#comments Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:55:16 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=372 Things like this:

JM Takeover Of Gizmodo Liveblog

Hey guys, John Mayer here. Are you guys excited? I’ve just commandeered the computer of my good friend, Jason Chen, who is also very very handsome. That means a lot coming from a guy like me. My other friend, Moby, is also here. Have you guys seen him? He’s really into technology. I love that guy. OK back to Jason.

For those of you not in the know; Jason Chen was liveblogging the Apple WWDC08 Keynote speech Steve Jobs made this morning. Anyone else find it funny that John Mayer (whose tour is presented by Blackberry, and got the “Bold” early) was once again at a Keynote that was entirely about the iPhone? I never had an issue like all the people giving JM flack for entering into a business arrangement with RIM/Blackberry, I am sure Apple was given a chance to and passed, as JM was never a paid endorser of Apple (he just knows what is good for him). However the RIM folk have to be a bit upset that he is still showing up around iPhone announcements.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/09/why-john-mayer-is-one-of-my-favourite-people-on-earth/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/03/a-twist-of-the-update-knob/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/03/a-twist-of-the-update-knob/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:03:15 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=361 So I moved my Photography albums over to my .Mac account, and yes this includes my Photography Portfolio. You might be like, “What Photography Portfolio?” And my reply would be, “The one I was cheating on you with.” Anyway, here it is.

I also have an iPhone gallery set up where I will upload pictures straight from the iPhone. I guess that means I will no longer be utilising the Flickr account, but we shall see how that goes and if adding the iPhone gallery RSS to the live section actually works. I’m just not committed to Flickr, Apple and I have far too strong of a relationship for some floozy to come in and pull us apart.

I also, also have a selected gallery of Live Noise. It is, what you thought it was.

Special thanks to; Lindsay Strannigan and Kyle Davidson who each helped me whittle down the Portfolio, and a certain lady friend who used the word “floozy” so much that it is forever attached to her in my mind, for better or worse.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/03/a-twist-of-the-update-knob/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/02/random-recommendations-6208/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/02/random-recommendations-6208/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:52:06 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=360 Mates of State – Re-arrange Us
Utterly amazing, the best album they have ever written. Chock full of hooks, sugary, angelic, hooks.

Chip Kidd – The Learners
I finally finished this on my trip up North. It’s a powerful book, anyone who went to art school or designs will probably enjoy it, though I think you should read “The Cheese Monkeys” first.

Price Club (Costco)
We like to call it by it’s old name, but regardless, you need more Costco in your life.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/02/random-recommendations-6208/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/01/in-case-you-were-concerned/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/01/in-case-you-were-concerned/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:33:14 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=356 I am in Sacramento, CA, at the airport, wondering why no one uses Bonjour when they are on free open networks.

Let’s examine that. How fun would it be to see 30 people randomly pop up on your Bonjour list in iChat and randomly IM you. Aside from the fact that it could be that creepy dude in the “Foreigner” t-shirt, rather than the adorable girl from the crew team of Western Washington University, I think the whole thing would be amazing. Isn’t the internet supposed to bring us together? Isn’t the future of social networking, networking us when we are being social?

I digress, I think I have lost my mind due to words I have yet to write. They will come, they will flow with the surge of the American River.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/06/01/in-case-you-were-concerned/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/22/all-quiet-on-the-western-front/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/22/all-quiet-on-the-western-front/#comments Fri, 23 May 2008 02:27:52 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=342 See what I did with the title there? That is some sort of writing instrument, I dunno which, but it’s clever, like me. It’s also mysterious and exhausted, also like me.

So the blog has been a little lacking in interesting things lately, that is mostly because my non-blogosphere life has been a little too interesting and/or busy lately. Because of such events, I share with you two things. Two things I was presented with today that grabbed me a little bit, two things that some people may find interesting.

The first is a blog post by a Gypster. Lindsay Strannigan is her Christian name, I don’t know what kind of names Gypsters have, so make one up.

The second is a bulletin one Rory Felton sent out on MySpace. I am not too sure if that link to the bulletin will even work for everyone, nor if Rory wants the world (you know the 5 people who read my blog who are all probably already friends with him on the space anyway) reading his words, but he did put them on MySpace, and it is, at the least, a thought provoking essay.

I’m closing down the blog for the weekend, but you can find me on twitter, I’m sure.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/22/all-quiet-on-the-western-front/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/19/brand-tags/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/19/brand-tags/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 23:33:14 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=338 From the world of “Weird things on the internet you aren’t sure what to do with”, comes Brand Tags. It’s an interesting sort of social interaction experiment I guess? Isn’t that what all of these sort of things are supposed to be?

Anyway, it’s pretty fun for killing a few minutes. My personal favourite word association that I personally entered was “45″. I had just been shown the Michael Jordan “Jumpman” logo. If you get that one at all, you are full of tact and wit.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/19/brand-tags/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/17/y2khai/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/17/y2khai/#comments Sun, 18 May 2008 01:37:17 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=329 A number of years ago in college, the fellow members of our secret society were in a computer lab, doing secret society things, when one of us stumbled upon a CD-R with the words “Y2KHAI” written on them. Since we were in a lab full of Apple’s we popped it in one and one of the most amazing auditory moments of all our lives happened right then or there.

We never knew how that CD-R found it’s way to us that day, or why, but we never questioned that it was pure destiny. Y2Khai has since never left my iTunes, and after today it should never leave yours. I think I once even burned a copy for Dan Crittenden’s 21st birthday present, which I am sure was the best gift he ever got.

Recently I decided to see what “Y” was up to, and well it’s the same “sweet asian flow” on a seemingly recently made over website. If you haven’t, then you should. MP3′s can be downloaded at his site. Listen now, thank me later.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/17/y2khai/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/15/those-liberal-californians/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/15/those-liberal-californians/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 01:51:03 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=332 Today the State of California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same sex marriage. While I personally have had a rather vague opinion on homosexuality and even same sex parenting (I simply have beliefs on all sides of this debate), one thing no one can argue these days is that if we offer benefits to people in committed relationships, sexuality has no part in distinguishing who is eligible. It’s a good day in California, and it will be interesting to see how this affects other states and the federal government.

I do think the real issue in this long withstanding debate is more etymology than anything. Any formal acknowledgement of a committed relationship by our government should be called a union. Marriage (though it should probably be matrimony) can be a term used by religious groups to show the spiritual acknowledgement of same relationship. We can take a page from Mexico and have separate civil and spiritual services. I don’t believe most people against same sex marriage truly oppose same sex couples having the same benefits and rights as marriage provides, I think they just get caught up on the word.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/15/those-liberal-californians/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/12/all-of-politics-are-a-fad/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/12/all-of-politics-are-a-fad/#comments Tue, 13 May 2008 06:27:41 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=326 Joel posted an interesting take on the shape of Politics in his life, I was going to reply, and I thought I would do so here. You should probably read his post if you want this to make the most sense.

I support Obama, I hope every day for him to be our next President, and when someone asks me why I do so, I reply with the following, “He is different”. Now sure this is a cop out (and to many jumping on the trend), there are much deeper reasons, but it doesn’t need to go deeper than that. Politics has always been skin deep, look at the system. Politics is inherently a system where we vote down party lines, we ignore the actual person, and we assume they will just put their parties agenda into practice entirely. It’s a pretty terrible way to do things, and assuming Obama will do the bidding of the Democratic Party once he is elected is just as naive as only supporting Obama because he will be a change of pace.

I hate giving away my money to support the “immobile lifestyles of those who choose not to contribute to society”. I hate the concept of healthcare for everyone. I think these things are not guaranteed, but privilege. As horrible as it sounds, yes, I think living a life free of dying young to pneumonia is a privilege. Until these treatments and cures don’t cost money, they should be for those who are in a position to afford to pay for them. The solution is not having me pay for other peoples standard of living to go up, the solution is having these treatments and cures affordable for everyone to pay for on their own (not subsidized either). That is where we should be trying to take society, that is how we should be trying to help all of humanity. Yet, I support Obama, a Democrat.

I wish we could be left to allowing the non-profits of the world to pick up those less fortunate, I wish it would work that way, but some of us in the world are far too selfish to extend a hand to someone. I have far greater issue with the tax dollars we spend abroad and overseas than what we spend on our own citizens, at least those in our country have the chance that they will become tax paying, productive members of society, it’s more of an investment. I am all for investing in people, all for investing in developing countries, but lets make sure we have a system where we can at least possibly gain financially from that overseas spending of my tax dollars (such an idea, here). I would realistically be more happy with this country if we were entirely practicing either Isolationism or Imperialism, anything with an “I” really.

I believe in people, I believe that our Government actually has 3 branches that all direct and lead our nation. I don’t believe the current President is to blame for all our troubles, just as I don’t believe the next one will magically right this sinking ship. So why do I think we need Obama? Simple, he is open to new ideas, he doesn’t pretend to have everything figured out, he openly states sometimes that his idea currently may not be the final solution to the issue, he is young and passionate. Sometimes experience is not what we need, sometimes we need a leader, doing things for the right reasons.

Michael Bloomberg makes a dollar a year as Mayor of NYC, he is doing it for the right reasons (I personally believe all high ranking politicians should be willing to take no salary for their “service”, but that’s a different rant). Bloomberg has been a Democrat, a Republican and an Independent, Bloomberg supports Obama’s economic plan, at least aspects of it, and I happen of trust the guys judgement on economics. There are certain people out there who are change agents, it’s a trendy term sure, but it’s the best way I can put this. Certain people simply know how to allow for positive change, not to stand in the way or be more important than the change (something I believe Hillary would do constantly), but to guide, to listen, to react and to have interests above their own personal gain. Hillary Clinton has now “invested” 11 million of her own money into her campaign, do you really think she isn’t doing this for the future “benefits”?

I was a huge proponent of John McCain, I think he is one of these people who have the better good above their own personal gain, I was fully behind him a few years ago… and then he went crazy. He started to make statements based on making his party happy, he latched on to ideas just to get their support, he lost a little of his identity. Sure it was probably necessary, but he lost a lot of respect in my book, he pulled a John Kerry. I did not vote for Kerry, so you know who I voted for, it wasn’t very easy. The real thing that killed Kerry in my eyes was seeing how passionate and ready to lead he was in old film footage from Vietnam. He was absolutely inspiring, then somewhere along the line he became a puppet.

Am I contradicting myself a lot? Probably. Didn’t I just talk about how Obama isn’t set on his decisions and is willing to listen? There is a difference between a puppet, a rational, listening leader and an egomaniac. The two extremes are what we keep having to chose between, and frankly I’m tired of it.

Where am I even going with this? Well, here is the thing. Sometimes the best judgement we can make on a person is the first judgement, it’s instincts. Sometimes I meet people for the first time and get this bad feeling about them, every time it has been accurate. Voting for someone because their movement moves us isn’t wrong. Yes we should be careful not to be misled, yes we should educate ourselves with what we are getting excited about (thankfully Obama has a handy little blueprint on the matter), yes it can be a fine line whether we are being ignorant or just believe in a person… these things have been at issue for Politics since the Roman Empire.

An amazing person said something to me about morality recently. I think it really sums up the approach we should take on politics as well…

Amazing Anonymous Person

Morality… it’s all crap because different things are good and bad to different people.

There is no defined right way, there is no solution that will please everyone. The way to lead this country is to understand that, to be able to have all these different, unique persons trust and to lead in good faith. The kind of person that can prove they can do that, shouldn’t need much more than the first impression and it shouldn’t matter what party they associate themselves with.

We are tired of the typical Democrat, we are tired of the typical Republican, we are tired of typical Politics. People don’t simply like Obama because he is different, people need Obama because he is different.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/12/all-of-politics-are-a-fad/feed/ 3 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/08/10-ways-hillary-clinton-can-still-win/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/08/10-ways-hillary-clinton-can-still-win/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 23:01:50 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=320 .
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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/08/10-ways-hillary-clinton-can-still-win/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/07/twitter-has-taken-over-my-blog/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/07/twitter-has-taken-over-my-blog/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 01:43:40 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=318 So I have noticed now that I Twitter, and now that I added Twitter Tools to my blog, my daily digest posts of my daily Tweets are taking over my blog. It’s kind of lame actually, to me at least. I really wish I could have Twitter Tools do a weekly digest, so my blog isn’t taken over.

In fact, I think I am gonna start manually combining my daily digests into a weekly one. It’s a bit of work, but I think it will keep the blog cleaner for the long run. Anyone wanna talk me out of this?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/07/twitter-has-taken-over-my-blog/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/02/fenway-time-lapse/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/02/fenway-time-lapse/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 18:09:13 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=306 Lovely look at the crowd filing in, field being prepared, baseball being played, beer being drank, Manny being Manny, Red Sox winning, gorgeous day/night in Boston, crowd exiting in Time Lapse.

Video by Tom Guilmette.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/02/fenway-time-lapse/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/01/att-hotspots-free-for-iphone/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/01/att-hotspots-free-for-iphone/#comments Thu, 01 May 2008 14:44:00 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=308 AT&T just opened up all their hotspots in the US to iPhone users. B&N, The ‘bucks and more, now free. You might remember a while back they gave free service to anyone who has their internet service, and pledged to open it up to mobile as well. They have finally done that latter. I am anxious to test if this also means wireless customers can enjoy the benefits on their laptop as well, we shall see.

A list of AT&T’s 71,000 hotspots can be found on AT&T’s site, including Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Airports, and McDonald’s locations.

P.S. T-Mobile is for suckers.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/05/01/att-hotspots-free-for-iphone/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/30/so-we-can-build-up-our-future/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/30/so-we-can-build-up-our-future/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:04:35 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=296 I personally do believe, that everyone is familiar with Miss Teen South Carolina already, so we can save that link/video/quote. Anyone that listens to Jim Rome also knows how much he loves to play said audio clip, so it should come as no surprise that I found the following image on Rome’s friend Tom Hoffarth’s blog. It’s absolutely brilliant.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/30/so-we-can-build-up-our-future/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/29/i-dont-know-what-this-is/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/29/i-dont-know-what-this-is/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:08:25 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=305 However it’s fairly cool. Oh, it is this.

I believe what it does is take people’s Twitter’s from all over and randomly pulls in ones that use certain words in them. I still don’t know “what” Twitter is, but if I ever find out, I might think this is really amazing or something.

This might kill 2 minutes of your day, that you would otherwise spend thinking about some past love, some failed relationship, some bad decision, some moment lost. For that, you should thank me. Speaking of loves lost, the new Augustana is out today and contains a great song titled “I Still Ain’t OVer You”, if the whole me distracting you thing fails, just listen to this song and relish in your non-over-ness of said love.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/29/i-dont-know-what-this-is/feed/ 2 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/26/hate-junk-mail/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/26/hate-junk-mail/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:15:58 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=292 I have long heard stories of people who try to payback junk mail senders by returning the postage paid envelope full of their own propaganda and other random presort mail. I have never seen an idea as utterly amazing as this. Mailing bricks back to credit card companies? It’s amazing, sure it could get expensive if you don’t have a lot of brick, but use what you have, anything will work.

The absolute jewel of this concept is the letter to the bulk mailer for you to insert in your package.

Insert Letter

Dear Bulk Mailer,

Please find attached to your no-postage-necessary envelope, this brick. I figured with all these great junk mails you send me every month, you’d like something in return! I know it costs twenty cents for every ounce I mail to you, so I hope it doesn’t weigh too much more than an ounce.

-Resident or Homeowner

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/26/hate-junk-mail/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/23/twitter-wars/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/23/twitter-wars/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:49:03 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=285 So I was thinking about my recent adoption of twitter, along with Chad Pearson’s recent adoption of putting peoples names in his iChat status message, and I realised we could create some sort of uniquely annoying war. We could just randomly post untrue silly things about people (as @ them) and just create an amazingly entertaining waste of internet and text messaging.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/23/twitter-wars/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/22/political-piledrivers/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/22/political-piledrivers/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:41:57 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=284 Last evening, the next President of the United States, the leader of the free world, appeared on WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Yes all of the potential President’s, somehow, were conned into appearing on a wrestling show. Every last one of their campaign managers should be fired.

Next up, the decision on the Democratic nomination, live from Gladiator Arena.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/22/political-piledrivers/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/20/my-soon-to-be-un-popular-opinion-on-the-war/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/20/my-soon-to-be-un-popular-opinion-on-the-war/#comments Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:32:12 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=279 So I was doing some perusing of the internets the other day, reading this article. It’s not really necessary to click the link, the article doesn’t actually say anything interesting, it just rambles endlessly like our government representation (and this sentence), however it did get me thinking about the war and solutions. You should all be forewarned that I am taking a harsh stance in the following words, and they will offend many, but I think we are at that point in this whole ordeal where everything is such a clouded, murky mixture of interests, motives and false pretenses that we just need to have a bold path. It is with that warning that I share my paths to end the war.

1) Get out in 60 days (or as quick as humanly possible without the troops being bottlenecked like the Persians) plan. This plan has actually been discussed, and a lot of people think it’s quitting on Iraq, it is. It’s the swallow our pride plan, it’s the realise this issue goes deeper than what we can force plan, it’s the let them fight it out themselves plan. Let’s face it Iraq maybe shouldn’t be 1 country, it has 3 very diverse groups who are all at various times against us and each other. If we left, they can decide where they want to control, how they want to live with their neighbors, and what relations they want to have with them. If they have a desire for one united Iraq, then they will work towards it; If they desire for their own government that can best represent their ethnic group, then they can go that route. We should have learned by now that forcing people to live together under one rule will only lead to one group trying to have control over the others. This whole idea acknowledges that maybe it’s a terrible idea for them to try to govern together. Of course we lose a lot of money, there will certainly be fighting and dying of these different peoples and we lose our foothold in the Middle East. It’s obvious what we gain, but just in case; we stop the loss of American lives, we stop the drain this war has taken on our tax dollars.

2) The “free” gas plan. I used to always joke around and say that “the American public would be okay with this war if we at least got free gas”. It’s terrible to say, and sadly true. Wars used to be fought for resources and gain. Yes there were some fought for chivalry and freedom, but really they still had underlying motives going beyond that. I know we have motives beyond the freedom of these people, I no longer get how those motives benefit us as a country, therefore at least come up with some gains for all these losses. Gasoline and energy costs are one of the biggest issues facing the United States as a country, and individuals living here, alleviating some of that pressure would benefit our economy and growth immensely. Let’s face it, the Government is essentially the biggest corporation, so it’s time they start balancing this whole thing out. Free gas, however, would be violating the people of Iraq, but a discounted gas would be a pretty fair shake. We essentially get oil discounted to cost plus 15%, the Iraq economy still has some positive benefit from this, and isn’t completely stripped of income. We are allowed this deal only to the point that the discounts equal the amount of tax payer dollars being spent on Iraq. This oil is then sold to the US gasoline syndicate at normal rates and the income offsets the tax dollars being spent. Of course the Iraqi government would get a say on this deal after every 6 months, if they feel the cost of income they are losing outweighs the benefits we provide, they let us know and we leave. This gives the whole situation economic balance, motivation for Iraq to stand on it’s own legs, as well as a means for Iraq to say “Thanks for the help, it’s been enough”. This plan should be utilised in any situation in which we are providing extended relief (beyond 9 months) to other countries.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/20/my-soon-to-be-un-popular-opinion-on-the-war/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/17/darth-cheney-is-brilliant/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/17/darth-cheney-is-brilliant/#comments Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:12:52 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=276 Dick Cheney absolutely stole the show at the Radio & TV Correspondents dinner last night. I’m sure he had a brilliant writer working for weeks on this material, but let’s face it the delivery is aces. My personal favourite is around the 3:50 mark, and it just gets better from there. If the last 8 years can be remembered for anything, we can always say we have had the 2 best stand-up comedians in the White House, ever.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/17/darth-cheney-is-brilliant/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/16/one-nation-under-banksy/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/16/one-nation-under-banksy/#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:23:07 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=270 Banksy is back at his usual games across the pond. This time he is taking on the big-brother like CCTV that watches over all of London. The Daily Mail gives you the full story on how he set up scaffolding and tarps to pull this large piece off, all right under the watchful lens of a camera.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/16/one-nation-under-banksy/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/14/twitter/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/14/twitter/#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:57:51 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=268 Okay, I know I should know this, I know I should be using it, and I know I should have been on this train like months ago. Regardless, Chad Pearson has convinced me to give it a go, and I am officially Twitter’ing.

For the record, I still have no idea what this all means.

Edit: I added the Twitter feed to my “live” section, I think… and if you have a Twitter let me know the goods, I’m a 1 at this.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/14/twitter/feed/ 2 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/13/this-is-a-no-blog-weekend/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/13/this-is-a-no-blog-weekend/#comments Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:30:13 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=269 So I’m down in San Diego for the weekend; celebrating my Mother’s birthday (got her an easel, acrylics, watercolours and related supplies), spending time with the niece, moving furniture around, saboteur’ing with some friends. I haven’t been on the internet most of the weekend, and hardly have even seen my computer. So this is me saying, it was a no blog weekend. If you miss me, I miss you.

Coming soon, a blog about why I hate Dodger Stadium and the events that lead up to it. You might think that this blog is a violation of “no blog weekend”, however I wrote this on Monday, just to throw you off.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/13/this-is-a-no-blog-weekend/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/11/oh-the-irony/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/11/oh-the-irony/#comments Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:40:51 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=266 I found this brilliant advertisement on some website for the “Idiot Test”. It’s amazing when people are trying to get across a message on the topic of intelligence and then disobey the established rules of the English language. Is it an idiot test based on the fact no one intelligent would click on it?

I personally believe that U.S. Americans are clicking on the idiot test do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don’t know it’s “an” and uh, I believe that our, I, grammar like such as uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like, such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our idiot test over here in the US should help the US, uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/11/oh-the-irony/feed/ 2 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/10/winter-can-live-on-if-only-in-these-trees/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/10/winter-can-live-on-if-only-in-these-trees/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:28:07 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=257 With Spring fully engulfing the West Coast (heck we may be in Summer by this weekend), I thought a little reflection on Winter would be lovely. I don’t get to experience Winter, but I hear it’s lovely, but then again so is 70 degree weather year round.

Svilen Dimchevski did this brilliant series of photographs of Tangerine rinds after they are peeled off. It’s quite lovely imagery, and makes you want to find the duality in what we perceive as everyday objects.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/10/winter-can-live-on-if-only-in-these-trees/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/09/run-on-wednesday/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/09/run-on-wednesday/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:19:04 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=263 Here is what I am doing with my life in complete random run-on sentence form for the people who care about what I am doing with my life.

I go shopping for yogurt and bread buy way too many things decide that I need to go green and buy reusable bags because they will fit more in them and completely forget yogurt, schedule servicing for the Mini, wearing the Persol’s constantly, wandering through art stores, driving laps at the Long Beach airport, watching the Discovery channel all day expanding my knowledge on Egypt, drinking wine on a Tuesday night, keeping secrets, drinking wine on a Monday night, being politically active on the internet, not being shocked when people say they will call and don’t, missing people, dealing with an insane 2 day window graphic installation at work, adding icons to my iPhones home screen, realising I suddenly have a Converse “collection”, cleaning out the freezer, wondering what percentage of people use Q-Tips for the proper use which is not cleaning your ear canals, missing the entire final four save for the last 2 minutes of the championship game and lastly, offending the French.

None of that is in chronological order, so just enjoy it as the pile of letters it is and move on.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/09/run-on-wednesday/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/08/iphone-optimized/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/08/iphone-optimized/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:38:45 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=260 A few months back I made the switch to an iPhone optimized admin version of WordPress, so my Mobile posting would be easier. A few weeks back I added an iPhone version (basically just a stylesheet) of this entire blog you are reading. Those of you on iPhone’s already noticed the last one, unfortunately no one but me gets to enjoy the first one. Why did I do these things on a device that gets “The Real Internet”? Simple, because they add function and ease, cut out the fluff and give you what you want when you a look that agrees with the iPhone experience.

A lot of people find iPhone versions of websites to be odd, dividing and others think it’s just the trendy version of a mobile site. I agree that it’s strange the fact that a device with the best (and most compatible) mobile browser available is responsible for a boom in optimising for specific devices, it’s ironic of course. However what a lot of people miss in this whole iPhone optimized craze, is that these versions enable the end user to do more (and spend more time on the site) through increased functionality and cross-tasking with the iPhone OS.

Thus, I bring my list of my favourite iPhone optimised websites (I left out the so-called “webapps” because they aren’t an iPhone version of an existing site):
1. Facebook – This borders between “webapp” and optimised site, but it blows away everything else and was one of the first. I am sure come June this will transform into a Facebook App on the iPhone, but for now, this takes the cake.
2. Google Grand Prix – This started out as a Google employee’s own personal project, and once the people at “The G” saw how brilliantly it ties together all the Google App Suite (Search, GMail, Reader, Calendar, et al) it was quickly green-lit for release.
3. Media Temple – Add email addresses on the go, Reboot the server upon a random crash at 11PM on a Friday night, et al. Probably not things very many of you need in your life, but for me this is a must.
4. Digg – Every few weeks I run into someone who JUST heard about Digg. It’s never ceases to amaze me. For all those who don’t know Digg, you should, and you should also know I’m addicted to it.
5. CBS News – CBS News recently became my favourite source for news, because of this really well done iPhone version. All the news that’s fit to touch.

Honorable Mention:
Trustkill Records – I recently got an email about this from a friend of mine at a label, along with asking my thoughts on it. I summed it up by saying it’s brilliantly well done, but I just don’t feel a record label website has the kind of readership to necessitate an iPhone version. They do a great job tying it into all the iPhone can do (iTMS, YouTube, etc.). Personally, I wouldn’t find myself on this site multiple times on my iPhone, but for those that would, you get quite the experience.

If I were to include websites who have a mobile version, and said mobile version includes an iPhone icon (for saving to your home screen), this list would also include The New York Times, and The LA Times. However these sites are just general mobile versions that look stellar on the iPhone and take advantage of only some of the iPhone technology. My criteria for a full iPhone optimization was basically that links were not just text, but utilize the entire graphical area (yes I’m aware of how little sense this makes to anyone that doesn’t use an iPhone, deal).

Have any to add, think I made bad choices? “Talk to me Goose”.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/08/iphone-optimized/feed/ 4 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/07/lobbyists-obama-wont-take-your-money/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/07/lobbyists-obama-wont-take-your-money/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:15:27 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=259 Daily Kos has a great post about Barack Obama not taking his money and why it has made him even more “prObama” (I made that up months ago, if it ever catches on, take note). The reason why? He is a lobbyist, albeit not one of the evil, trying to control politicians, lobbyists, but a registered lobbyist all the same, and Obama pledged not to take money from lobbyists. It’s amazing to see a politician do something with such a level of broad sweeping accountability. No deciding which lobbyists are okay, which ones aren’t pro/con certain pieces of their platform, just no lobbyists, none.

A little excerpt for your enjoyment:

Daily Kos

Obama, and his campaign, are committed to bringing about change. They are doing this in both large and small steps. Refusing my money is a small step, but it spoke volumes to me. It showed me Obama means what he says and backs it up with action. It shows me that no detail is to small and that his organization is top notch. It strengthened my commitment to see him elected President.

I guess I just can’t use my money to do it:).

p.s.: As a side note, last year my spouse had set up automatic monthly payments to Hillary (nothing big $10/month) but after switching to Obama, had to battle with the Clinton campaign to cancel the automatic payment. I find it ironic that one campaign won’t take my money, the other won’t give it back!

Things like this remind me why we need someone who doesn’t have the “experience” (read: isn’t corrupt, jaded and biased; isn’t loyal to the old ways, run by big business, only worried about their legacy) to be President. Things like this make me soooo prObama.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/07/lobbyists-obama-wont-take-your-money/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/03/apple-is-awesome/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/03/apple-is-awesome/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:51:28 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=253 Recently Microsoft and Universal joint venture MSNBC.com ran an article it probably had to make a few calls about whether or not it should be published. The article basically said that Apple is one of the strongest, hippest brands and that Microsoft is boring and out-dated. Tell you something you didn’t know? I know, it’s kind of obvious, but I really like the journalistic tact (sarcasm) MSNBC showed in deciding to run with something that calls out the hand that writes cheques. Still craving that something you didn’t know? Apparently these same voters feel that the next most” in need of a makeover” brand is…

MSNBC

The nearly 2,000 professionals and students who voted named Apple overwhelming winner. The creator of the iPod and Mac computer triumphed in six categories including most inspiring brand and the one readers cannot live without.

Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, was also a winner, but it received the dubious honor of the brand most readers wanted to argue with, and the one they most wanted to revamp. Voted into second place in the category was brand USA.

“brand” USA? Yep, the country you live in. Maybe we can put The Steve in charge of that brand too? Did I just say Steve Jobs for President? Yes, and Apple board of director Al Gore can be his VP I suppose… though I’d rather Jonny Ive (however, he is not eligible seeing as he is a Commander of the British Empire).

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/03/apple-is-awesome/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/02/sweded-tron/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/02/sweded-tron/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:20:42 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=256 First I should probably explain what “Swedeing” a movie is for those out there who aren’t familiar with the term. It all comes from Michel Gondry’s film “Be Kind Rewind” which is about a couple guys in a rental store who find themselves with a store full of erased tapes (that they caused). They decide to re-create the films on their own, and rent them out to people like nothing has changed.

Wikipedia

The tapes are described as having come from Sweden as an excuse for higher rental fees and longer wait times.

In light of the theme of swedeing, director Michel Gondry swedes a version of the trailer of the film, starring Gondry himself. On the official website, users can engage in swedeing, which puts their faces on the VHS cover of a movie. The Be Kind Rewind YouTube minisite also encourages filmmakers to swede their own versions of popular movies.

With that out of the way you are all ready to see the most amazing thing ever. Sweded Tron, Sweded-freaking-lightcycle-scene-from-Tron. I should probably admit right now that I love Tron, it’s the best film Jeff Bridges was in that isn’t called “The Big Lebowski”, and I cannot wait for the anniversary release.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/04/02/sweded-tron/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/31/fantasy-baseball-2008/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/31/fantasy-baseball-2008/#comments Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:09:16 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/?p=252 It’s that time of the year again, baseball is upon us. I love baseball, but it’s hard to be really into every game, every day, every second, that’s why a fantasy league that you set the lineup once a week is perfect. Chad and I did this ESPN league a few years back, and we had fun with it, so I am starting one up and hoping people will join the fun. It’s basically a salary cap fantasy game, lineups weekly, and doesn’t require complete submergence in weeks of fantasy research (this means you Kyle).

Go ahead, join it, and let the trash talking begin. If anyone wants to get into a crazy full on drafting league where we geek out over weird stats, let me know, I’m game for one.

League Info

Get in the action now:

http://games.espn.go.com/bbc/group?groupID=6951

Game Front:

http://games.espn.go.com/bbc/frontpage

Group: Don’t Say Industry
Password: redsox

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/31/fantasy-baseball-2008/feed/ 2 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/28/1325-years-of-free-internet/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/28/1325-years-of-free-internet/#comments Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:28:20 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/28/1325-years-of-free-internet/ So Kyle recently informed me, and then the world (via blogdom) about Charter’s “Internet For Life” auction. You can read his thoughts at his blog, they are not kind to Charter, nor the people bidding. If you dig into the rules about said contest, you find fun tidbits like; if Charter sells their service after 3 years you get no refund (Charter is 19 Billion in debt and fielding bids for the company), the winner must pay the full amount within 48 hours of being notified on April 2, the award cannot be sold, transferred, or willed upon death. Recently the auction ended, and the winning idiot bidder was announced.

$71,540.00

No that’s not in Roubles, Pesos, or some other weird other foreign currency, that is USD my friends. So let’s be straight about this, someone just pre-paid 2008 rates for 132.5 years of internet service? Now that might be cool if he is like supplying free internet to his entire town or something, but I’m sure it’s just for some huge Georgia mansion in the country. How brilliant of a scheme was this by Charter? 70 grand of capital straight into the bank.

One of my professors once told me in 1998 that if you save $50 a month starting at age 18, you will be a millionaire by 40. In a related note, I would like to tell the winning bidder of the “Charter For Life” promotion, that by my calculations, if he/she would have put the money in savings, in merely half of those 132.5 years he/she could have owned Canada*.

*Figure is estimated off 1998 “become a millionaire” numbers, average inflation versus interest rate figures and the estimated 2008 worth of Canada being 2.3 million dollars.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/28/1325-years-of-free-internet/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/27/thanks-lindsay/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/27/thanks-lindsay/#comments Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:41:19 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/27/thanks-lindsay/ Lindsay made some post on her blog about her new “Etsy” store, and I being a man, had no idea what this was so I checked it out. I still don’t know what it is, but I am now stuck deciding upon my next table purchase. Normally I would not provide links to something I am contemplating purchasing, but here it might be encouraged that you pick it up before I am able.

London Map Table

Steel Coffee Table

Exploded Coffee Table

London Street Sign Table

In conclusion, what is Etsy? I dunno, but it has some great tables.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/27/thanks-lindsay/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/25/the-papal-stage/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/25/the-papal-stage/#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:46:23 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/25/the-papal-stage/ I’m don’t support a lot of things about the Catholic church, but they have the best backdrop ever. Purgatory has definitely done more good in religious inspired art, then in scaring people into not sinning.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/25/the-papal-stage/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/24/i-definitely-didnt-not-find-the-cloverfield-monster/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/24/i-definitely-didnt-not-find-the-cloverfield-monster/#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:45:12 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/24/i-definitely-didnt-not-find-the-cloverfield-monster/ I know, I know… the boy who cried “I found the Cloverfield monster” strikes again. Don’t believe me, that’s fine, but remember how that whole “boy who cried wolf” thing ended. The destruction of New York City, that’s how.

You tell me, if this isn’t the Cloverfield monster, what is it?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/24/i-definitely-didnt-not-find-the-cloverfield-monster/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/23/i-hate-sarah-marshall/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/23/i-hate-sarah-marshall/#comments Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:22:08 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/23/i-hate-sarah-marshall/ The love affair with this film continues today, because I just realised I never passed along the link, yeah THE link, the one you need in your life, the one that made me happy, the one that saved that puppy from the burning fire, the one that invented Gin & Tonic’s. Yeah that one.

Brilliant.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/23/i-hate-sarah-marshall/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/22/random-recs-32208/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/22/random-recs-32208/#comments Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:27:07 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/22/random-recs-32208/ Solea – Finally We Are Nowhere – Texas Is The Reason recorded one of the most perfect albums ever, Garret Klahn can do no wrong.
Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart (Single) – I started listening to this “single” and the vocals didn’t come in till the 4 minute mark, Death Cab may be back.
New iPhone – Apple, thank you for amazing customer service and always treating me splendidly and respecting my honourary genius status. Also thank you for the entertainment you provide while you swap out my phone; a kid who wanted to do “something” with his iPhone because he doesn’t get service at his house.
Wednesday – … is the new weekend, and apparently we will be at the Stone Rose until further notice.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/22/random-recs-32208/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/21/photoshopolicious/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/21/photoshopolicious/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:56:27 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/21/photoshopolicious/ I came across this lovely blog the other day, which makes fun of all the very apparent photoshop jobs done in marketing. This is the kind of stuff I thought only my friends and I geeked out over, well this stuff and fonts, and Rachel Bilson, who coincidentally is featured in a post at the blog I just tried to send you to.

For the record I don’t care what anyone says, R Bils is perfect, on that cover, in real life, and especially in the Last Kiss, which is a film starring Zach Braff, which will make you depressed, which is probably good for a change; I have noticed you are way too happy these days.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/21/photoshopolicious/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/20/reason-549607-why-i-love-google/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/20/reason-549607-why-i-love-google/#comments Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:46:17 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/20/reason-549607-why-i-love-google/ Google TiSP.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/20/reason-549607-why-i-love-google/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/19/i-dont-really-know-the-point-of-this/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/19/i-dont-really-know-the-point-of-this/#comments Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:27:06 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/19/i-dont-really-know-the-point-of-this/ I like the Daily Mail, it’s a website I frequent a lot, but never directly check daily. Perhaps I should, but then the thrill of it would wear off. I like thrills, such as the thrill of scouring the internet about Project Runway Season 4, after the entire season has aired and you just watched episode one, without having any spoilers given away. I’m a rebel dottie, a loner.

So the Daily Mail, decided to run this.

I’m sort of speechless about the whole thing. Speechless that they decided that was a good article, and even more speechless that those were the best images they could have created for them.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/19/i-dont-really-know-the-point-of-this/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/18/urban-meyer-is-amazing/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/18/urban-meyer-is-amazing/#comments Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:27:10 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/18/urban-meyer-is-amazing/ The Floriduh (SIC, Ed.) Gators won the National Championship not long ago, in two sports. They recently became pretty lame in both sports, but I really don’t expect that to last long (or I really don’t expect the current teams to survive if they keep this up).

Basketball Coach Billy Donovan locked his players out of their practice facility, only a few days after he said that his team wasn’t committed and doubts they ever will be.

ESPN

Coach Billy Donovan, feeling like his players had settled into a state of complacency and entitlement, banned them from Florida’s $12 million facility. He also told them they couldn’t wear any Florida attire.

This is absolutely the most amazing thing a coach has ever done. It’s absolutely fantastic to see a Coach react to his teams lack of effort by taking away the comforts that they have grown so accustomed to (some Pro Coaches should probably take this approach, starting with the Knickerbockers). ESPN went on to discuss how bad the Gators are this year, how awesome Donovan is, and how they are going to lose to my Alma Mater SDSU in the opening round of the NIT*.

If you are wondering why the title of this brings up Urban Meyer, the UF Football coach, he is the one who originally sprung this move on his Gators team in 2005.

* I made this up, probably.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/18/urban-meyer-is-amazing/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/14/the-whatever-bias/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/14/the-whatever-bias/#comments Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:19:32 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/14/the-whatever-bias/ So last week I was reading this article on MSNBC.com, and I sort of found it an interesting read while at the same time something tripped me up about it. Finally over this past weekend I realised what it was: This is news? Let me get this straight, some guys theory based on the fact that some plants grow in a location, and those plants were used in a different location, oceans away, as a hallucinogen is enough evidence for discrediting Moses and quite a few religious texts?

British philosophy journal Time and Mind

Benny Shanon of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University said two plants in the Sinai desert contain the same psychoactive molecules as those found in plants from which the powerful Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca is prepared.

I’m not defending the idea that maybe everything in the Bible isn’t exactly how it seems. I am a huge supporter of painting with a broader brush, when it comes to religious texts, and I think there are a lot of writings and unknowns out there that can enhance and strengthen the foundation the Bible says. However, this little theory is just a little too speculative and fact-less for my liking (and I love conspiracy theories).

The story gets better when you find out that Benny Shanon is an expert. An expert of what exactly?

MSNBC

Shanon wrote that he was very familiar with the affects of the ayahuasca plant, having “partaken of the … brew about 160 times in various locales and contexts.”

So now the whole thing just becomes funny, would we listen to an addict tell us how Washington’s crossing of the Delaware was really a fabrication they came up with while high in an opium den? The most glaringly odd part of this article is the title “Was Moses high on Mount Sinai?”, because from everything presented in the article itself the only thing the theory even discusses is that the people who witnessed the event may have had hallucinations, not Moses himself.

Kudos, MSNBC, your journalistic integrity is at an all time low. I actually had to check several times upon reading this article that I hadn’t accidentally wound up on The Onion’s website.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/14/the-whatever-bias/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/13/your-blog-is-boring/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/13/your-blog-is-boring/#comments Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:08:31 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/13/your-blog-is-boring/ Not yours so much, but Kyle Davidson’s. He used to be an entertaining person, complete with a blog, but then he got boring (like Sam Morgan). He will blame this on things such as; not having a laptop, having a job, Michael Vick being found guilty, being busy traveling. But I call rubbish on it, he could blog if he wants to. He could leave his friends behind.

For those who aren’t familiar with Kyle, he; is my roommate, the other half of the “Disneyland creepy running guys duo”, a fellow connoisseur of sourdough and sour balls, a fellow AI alumni (not working in the field), inventor of some amazing t-shirt slogans you don’t yet know about, one of the only persons I know who never went to a prom of any sort*.

Everyone should go harass Kyle until he decides to blog again.

* This is totally true, and I am still trying to make it my mission to throw Kyle the Senior Prom he never had. Who is with me?

Edit: So I wrote this a few days ago, to post date my life so to speak, and low and behold Kyle goes and makes a blog post. Kind of stole my thunder, but the blog is pretty great and has even inspired me to tell one of the many “BRO!” stories, so look for that soon.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/13/your-blog-is-boring/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/11/random-recs-31108/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/11/random-recs-31108/#comments Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:20:04 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/11/random-recs-31108/ We The Kings – We The Kings – Yes I love pop music, so sue me.
Accepted – I still haven’t seen it, true. However I lied about seeing it last week, this weekend watched a good 45 minutes of it, and set the DVR to record it for next weekends viewing. Justin Long + Jonah Hill = Amazing.
Augutana – Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (EP) – I don’t think anything will ever top “Boston” to me (mostly due to personal attachment), but “Sweet and Low” is one of the best songs I have heard since the 90′s, it is absolutely everything I love in a song.
Yogurt – Yeah, I am recommending you get some live culture in you, everyone could use more.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/11/random-recs-31108/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/10/the-interstates/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/10/the-interstates/#comments Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:48:56 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/10/the-interstates/ I love the fact that in our nation, you can get on one highway and drive to the other coast. It’s brilliant. I hate the fact I can’t drive to work (25 miles) on one highway, but hey Los Angeles only ever completed like 1/4 of the highways planned for it.

The Interstate system was developed by Eisenhower, and this lovely illustration of the system that I recently came across was put together by Chris Yates.

To clarify one thing, the 15 doesn’t really go into Los Angeles, not sure where this dude gets his info, but it goes all the way to San Diego, and never really comes close to it’s downtown either. Moral of this lesson, the 15 isn’t fun.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/10/the-interstates/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/09/1-sign-you-shouldnt-hire-this-guy/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/09/1-sign-you-shouldnt-hire-this-guy/#comments Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:39:26 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/09/1-sign-you-shouldnt-hire-this-guy/ So a few weeks back this was posted on the internet and has made its rounds, it has become pretty popular not because what the guy is saying is right (or necessarily wrong), but because of how he says it and how offensive he tries to be.

When it comes to people who work on websites all day, there are quite a few interesting ones in the lot, this guy however is just not in touch with reality. He has a few solid points as his platform, but then screws it all up with his delivery by being so absolutely polarizing that it becomes hilarious. I’m like a 3 at creating for the internet, but some of my closest friends are absolute internet legends, and they would tell you there are always exceptions to almost all of these rules.

For most people, this should just be a funny post to see how people who geek out on making the internet argue with each other about things that really don’t matter. Enjoy.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/09/1-sign-you-shouldnt-hire-this-guy/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/07/the-steve/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/07/the-steve/#comments Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:28:02 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/07/the-steve/ Someone had way too much time on their hands, but for that I am thankful.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/07/the-steve/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/06/seo-v-lol/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/06/seo-v-lol/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:42:14 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/06/seo-v-lol/ SEO, means Search Engine Optimization. Every competent web person is usually savvy with this term, and will tell you what you can do to increase the likelihood that someone finds you on the internet (or better yet, how you can pay them to optimize your page). Then there is the famous “Google Algorithm” and how it’s pretty much smarter than most people graduating from the Art Institute of CA (I can say these things, it’s my alma mater). Over the years countless people have made claims they can “get you the top result on Google” and other ridiculous things that are pretty much impossible to pull off.

However, I had never seen someone claim to be able to move you away from the top results, let along move only certain results related to you down the line. That all changed today with Complaint Remover, which claims to “stop defamation by positioning links on the Search Engines and by appeals to law to remove negative information”.

If that isn’t the most hilarious thing in and of itself, The Consumerist decided to have some fun with Complaint Remover and defend the freedom of the internets, and cat breeders.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/06/seo-v-lol/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/05/the-making-of-a-champion/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/05/the-making-of-a-champion/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:18:30 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/05/the-making-of-a-champion/ I am a pretty big nerd when it comes to typography, or for the non Graphic Designers of you, the world of fonts. I abide by the somewhat common belief that any designer can get by on about 6 fonts in their life, 6 fonts is pretty much just about what I’ve used to complete 90% of everything I have ever designed. However, my Suitcase has about 5000 fonts in it, so I have an excess, of sorts.

In college I got in this really David Carson mode once where I would only use Courier, and then manipulate each letter by hand to get some derivation that suited my mood. This worked for about 3 months, until I was banned from using Courier by one of my teachers (which was probably for the best, so thank you Pein). So it’s not shocking that I have always liked to put my own touch on a font I am using for a certain project, I just feel it is the correct process out of respect for the design. Or, maybe I just don’t think very many fonts are perfect.

Lately, my mind has grown attached to scripts and swashes and italics, and at some point this relationship will end, but for now I enjoy it. I have a huge crush on Champion Script Pro at the moment, and it’s mostly due to it being one of the most complete fonts out there and comes with thousands of optional letterforms and such. Parachute did an amazing thing and wrote up the how’s and why’s behind Champion, and it’s quite a good read for anyone from those curious to how a font is created, to the seasoned typographer.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/05/the-making-of-a-champion/feed/ 3 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/03/archival/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/03/archival/#comments Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:56:31 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/03/archival/ Over the weekend I added some various, random, writings that span all the way back to 2002. For those of you not in the know, 2002 was when blogging was invented*, and I was right there changing the world.

If you peruse these archives, you will find; early morning drives, Cheetah conservation, vague reminiscing, 11 o’clock news play-by-play, a reminisce vaguely worded, run-on sentences, moments, earlier morning drives (at the end of a roadtrip), and surely a lot of poor grammar.

If you are interested in my more literary type endeavours, this would be your gin.

* I totally made this up, I am quite capable of wiki’ing “blog” and “knowing” it was created earlier, but that would be boring and predictable.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/03/03/archival/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/29/friday-discussion-question/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/29/friday-discussion-question/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:45:38 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/29/friday-discussion-question/ I know only like 4 people read my blog, and like 2 of them regularly comment, but I am having a discussion post anyway. Maybe I will do this every Friday; maybe I will do this every leap day. Who knows, really.

I had every intention of this blog being more about my life and what I am currently doing, than being the randomness it is. I had all these intentions, but then realised I am kind of boring. You would get all these posts like; “I worked today, then I came home and watched One Tree Hill, then I fell asleep at 10:20″, would have been this Tuesday’s post.

So, all that being said… Would it be better if I posted less (and only about the things I do/think/feel) or kept posting regularly (and include random things I find worthy of passing along)?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/29/friday-discussion-question/feed/ 3 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/28/reason-239781-why-i-love-google/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/28/reason-239781-why-i-love-google/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:32:10 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/28/reason-239781-why-i-love-google/ Today Google gave all homeless persons in San Francisco a free phone number and voicemail. I have always been a pretty big supporter of Mayor Gavin Newsom (even with that whole affair scandal, he handled it pretty well) and the strides “The City” (On the west coast, this means San Francisco) has made as of late, but this one definitely tops the list. San Francisco also gives out tokens to the homeless allowing them to use the public French style bathrooms whenever they need (which a few of them also use to take showers in, since the bathrooms are self cleaning), and recently launched an effort led by Mayor Newsom to use less bottled water and take advantage of the tap water (which is amazingly pure up in those parts) by giving all gov’t employees a reusable bottle and banning bottled water from city sponsored events.

You can find a full write up about Google’s move over at msnbc.com, but here is a brief pull:

MSNBC

“How do you communicate as a homeless individual? ” Newsom asked. “How do you expect your life to turn around if you can’t even get information or if someone can’t even get in touch with you?”

“It just seems exactly like any other voice mail,” said Craig Walker, senior project manager of Google. “There’s no stigma attached to it that ‘hey this is a temporary thing’ or ‘this is an 800 number.’ It’s really just a local number owned by the user.”

One man who used to be homeless said the right message can raise the spirit.

“Having your family, friends and loved ones being able to say ‘here I’m thinking about you, I love you, I want you to know you’re mine, and I miss you,’ can have a monumental change in one’s behavior.”

Well done Google, Well done Mayor Newsom.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/28/reason-239781-why-i-love-google/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/27/do-you-want-to-lose-a-few-brain-cells/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/27/do-you-want-to-lose-a-few-brain-cells/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:25:25 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/27/do-you-want-to-lose-a-few-brain-cells/ Then head directly here, it’s kind of amazing, it’s totally a train wreck, and you won’t leave for hours.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/27/do-you-want-to-lose-a-few-brain-cells/feed/ 2 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/25/the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-camera/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/25/the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-camera/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:19:15 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/25/the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-camera/ Personally, for me, when I want to go realistic I put the pen/ink/brush/paint away and stick to the camera, but I am always impressed by those who can be so mechanical and precise in their creation that it looks exactly like the image we see with the eye/lens. Juan Francisco Casas is doing just that, with Bic pens.

The Daily Mail

They may look like pin-sharp photographs – but these amazing pictures are actually drawings created with the humble ballpoint pen.
The stunning pictures, measuring up to 10ft high, were drawn by a rising star of the art world, Juan Francisco Casas.

Casas, 31, can use up to four 14p ballpoint pens for a canvas and his works are already a sell-out at exhibitions.

Formerly a traditional painter, Juan began the drawings three years ago based on photographs of nights out with his friends.

He seems a little obsessed with the blonde he keeps drawing, but these are none the less impressive.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/25/the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-camera/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/23/amazing-campaign-by-products/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/23/amazing-campaign-by-products/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:04:18 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/24/amazing-campaign-by-products/ I really cannot decide which is better:
Barack Obama being my new bicycle; or Hillary Clinton being my new bicycle.

However, I definitely know which candidate I would support by wearing baseball inspired campaign shirts.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/23/amazing-campaign-by-products/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/21/michael-bay-gets-his-oscar/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/21/michael-bay-gets-his-oscar/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:07:27 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/21/michael-bay-gets-his-oscar/ The Onion usually stays with stories I think are hilariously funny, yet leave me craving the 3-10 minutes I just lost to them back. This however is beyond hilarious and only left me wanting more.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/21/michael-bay-gets-his-oscar/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/18/apple-users-v-the-world/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/18/apple-users-v-the-world/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:32:48 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/18/apple-users-v-the-world/ I’ve been an Apple user for 20+ years, dating back to a Christmas morning in the 80′s where we woke up to a green glow in the living room. It’s been a bumpy road for those years filled with family members becoming Windows users, Apple allowing clone Macs, the ongoing battle trying to convince everyone why Apple was better. I gave up on that last one a few years ago; it may have an act of futility, it may have been a realisation that everyone (including people I never wanted using Apple) were coming over at breakneck speed and the elite Apple user circle was becoming bloated.

What really did it for me was one day after many conversations with many Windows users comprising of this automatic intense defense of their OS. It suddenly clicked with me, I was just that same way (only on the offensive), and it’s annoying. Anyone discussing anything who has to sell something that hard and make ravenous remarks has some serious insecurities. So I gave up, I would still always subtly slide in any pro Apple remark where I could, but it had to be applicable and rational, it would be only to educate and inform. I think this same “maturing” of the “Apple fan boy” has taken place on a wider scale with most others as well, and now you see a more confident Apple supporter, who doesn’t sink to kicking Windows users while they are down.

So can the same be said for Windows users? Did they give up on their hyper defensive stance? Have we all matured together to realise some people are okay with driving a minivan (is it at least a turbo charged minivan, with a cool number 18 decal on the side? No?), and the rest of us want something more sporty with a better design aesthetic and a functionality that is so simple, yet so forward? The answer lies on the internets friends, and it’s looking like the answer is “No”.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/18/apple-users-v-the-world/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/17/tech-logos-evolved/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/17/tech-logos-evolved/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:54:16 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/17/tech-logos-evolved/ Pretty interesting look at the evolution of some of the more popular Tech companies.

I still am not much of a fan of the Google logo, but I absolutely love the old logos of what was to become IBM.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/17/tech-logos-evolved/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/16/free-katie-holmes/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/16/free-katie-holmes/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:01:08 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/16/free-katie-holmes/ This should be the single battle cry for anyone against Scientology.

Photo courtesy of Rob Sheridan, who did some amazing work on the NIN “With Teeth” photography.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/16/free-katie-holmes/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/15/how-to-flirt/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/15/how-to-flirt/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:50:49 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/15/how-to-flirt/ Who else finds this one of the most absolutely hilarious things ever?

How To Flirt

My thoughts upon first viewing:
1. “Hi” is a pick up line?
2. Being from Long Island is a “big red circle with a line through it”.
3. Shouldn’t a video that will be posted online about “how to flirt”, just show some guy and girl “MySpacing” and “AIMing” back and forth? Such as?
4. Talk about Butterflies, but then rub your arm all seductively. What?
5. Step 6: Alcohol?!?
6. “If a persons feet are facing you, he or she is interested”. Does this rule apply to all moments in life? Sweet.
7. So you shouldn’t touch a guy below the belt, but kissing him within 5 minutes is perfectly acceptable?
8. Was that even her wine?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/15/how-to-flirt/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/14/emocentric/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/14/emocentric/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:04:37 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/14/emocentric/ e·mo·cen·tric
adj.
1. One attaining the view that music (specifically emo) is the center, object, and norm of all emotions.
2.
a. A limitation in behaviour and/or preferences to music that is played by persons in tight clothes with a heavy emphasis on emotional themes.
b. Only affected by the feelings invoked by “emo” because the emotions of others relate exactly to you; they are singing about you.
3.
a. Influenced or inspired to one’s self as pertaining to anothers act of pure emotion.
b. Taking one’s own emotions (or emotions transferred from song) as the basic for ones own philosophical system and mannerisms.

In psychology, emocentrism is defined as a) the incomplete attachment of the self to the emotions of songwriters, ignoring ones own actual emotions and thought and b) the tendency to perceive, understand and interpret the world through the emotional writings of others as they apply to the self. The term derives from the Greek emô, meaning “bangs over the eyes.” An emocentric person has no theory of emotional individuality, cannot help but “put himself in everybody else’s shoes,” and believes everyone feels what he and Chris Carrabba feels (or that what he understands about the music in some way exceeds what others understand.)

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/14/emocentric/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/13/okay-i-really-found-the-cloverfield-monster-this-time/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/13/okay-i-really-found-the-cloverfield-monster-this-time/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:11:37 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/13/okay-i-really-found-the-cloverfield-monster-this-time/ Andy Hull (of one of my favourite bands of the last few years Manchester Orchestra) recently sat down to record a Daytrotter Session. ManchOrch recorded a stellar album called “I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child” that I couldn’t stop listening to for months. Andy also has a side project called Right Away Great Captain that is quite lovely in it’s own right. Andy was joined by Kevin Devine on the 3 tracks recorded for Daytrotter, and 2 of them are previously unreleased. If you ever get the opportunity to see Manchester Orchestra live, do it, they were a part of the second best live auditory performance I’ve ever attended (which also included Kevin Devine, and Brand New).

You can check out the session over at Daytrotter and for those of you who are fans of Kevin Devine, his Daytrotter Session goes up friday and Andy returns the favour by joining him.

Now here is the part where you feel misled because I was talking about the Cloverfield monster again, you don’t think it’s fair (and it probably isn’t), but you should know I do this constantly in my real life as well. Just ask anyone who is taking pictures during our social outings for some photographic evidence, and you will see by the blurring that is me in the background that I am constantly bringing “Clover” into all aspects of my life. Do not fret fine blog reader, if you listen to the second song “Made Quite An Impressive Noise” and pay careful attention towards the end, this will all make a little more sense.

P.S. Who young or old enjoys having (the) desert?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/13/okay-i-really-found-the-cloverfield-monster-this-time/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/12/teaching-without/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/12/teaching-without/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:37:35 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/12/teaching-without/ Pretty amazing story about a teacher in the greater San Diego region who graduated High School, got an athletic scholarship to, and graduated from, college, became a teacher and taught High School for 17 years; all without being able to read, write or spell.

John Corcoran

“When I was a child I was just sort of just moved along, when I got to high school I wanted to participate in athletics. At that time in high school I went underground. I decided to behave myself and do what it took. I started cheating by turning in other peoples’ paper, dated the valedictorian, and ran around with college prep kids.”

Some might call this a failure of our educational systems for this man to be allowed to go through and teach children while being illiterate; I call this a failure of our educational systems for allowing someone who clearly could apply himself (granted by unjustful means) to “success” no matter what. A lot of times those who struggle with these sort of things wind up down a much darker path so I think it should be celebrated that a guy who struggled, who had to cheat to make it, wound up figuring out a way he could make a huge impact on youth and prevent this from happening to other young persons.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/12/teaching-without/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/skateboarding-is-not-a-crime/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/skateboarding-is-not-a-crime/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:28:54 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/09/skateboarding-is-not-a-crime/ Voluntary Manslaughter however is. Good thing for the driver that this guy made it.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/skateboarding-is-not-a-crime/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/on-politics/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/on-politics/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:55:37 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/on-politics/ I have been trying to explain my thoughts and feelings on the face of politics in our country numerous times recently with friends and strangers. I have tried to explain why I used to respect McCain, why I hate Clinton, why I’m nervous about Obama, why Ron Paul is not an option, and I don’t think I have ever found the exact way to say it. Thankfully Mark Cuban did, and now I can just link you to it. Mark Cuban is one of the few people in the public eye that I find myself wishing I could sit and talk and think up ridiculous ideas that would change the world with, the most amazing thing with the people (Cuban, David Eggers, David Carson) on my list is that they will do exactly that. I only need to exchange emails or run into and almost knock over Cuban and I will have interaction with all 3 down.

Mark Cuban

I’ve looked at the websites of current and previous candidates to get an understanding of their platforms. They all have positions, some of which I agree with , some of which I don’t. But there is one thing that is missing from each and everyone of them, any manner of implementation. Health care, spending cuts, retaining or repealing tax cuts, keeping or removing troops, the soundbites with pretty numbers never end. Not a single candidate provides details on how exactly they are going to accomplish anything. Don’t they realize that economists exists to make lottery ticket buyers look smart, not presidential candidates ?

It reminds me of business plans I get from kids who tell me about their vision and project all kinds of numbers leading to grand results. They can site historical facts and figures, but when it comes time to get into details of exactly how they are going to execute on their plans, the response is basically that they will figure it out as they go. I wouldn’t invest in a business that is winging it any more than I want to vote for a presidential candidate that is winging it.

Unfortunately , they are all winging it. i have no question that they have every detail about how to spend their campaign contributions on advertising planned out. I have yet to see details on how they plan to accomplish all their great promises they are making to voters. That scares me.

(And before all the comments start, Ron Paul is the worse of all the candidates when it comes to detailing how he would execute on his promises. Just saying you are going to cut and eliminate everything doesn’t mean you know how to do it and/or could get it done.)

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/10/on-politics/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/08/18-1-refuse-to-lose/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/08/18-1-refuse-to-lose/#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:11:51 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/08/18-1-refuse-to-lose/ So the most hilarious thing on the internet this week is this petition. The only thing that might be more ridiculous than a petition saying the Patriots should have won the game (I have no idea what the basis for their statement even is), might be the idea of a website called PetitionOnline.com where people can host “public petitions for responsible public advocacy”. This website cracks me up every time a person starts one of these silly things. Has PetionsOnline.com worked? Ever? Once? My vote is no, but they say otherwise.

These people think the play calling would have gone the same way if there was 40 seconds less on the clock. Like the Giants would have still run plays that would have only gotten them 40 seconds away from winning the Super Bowl, and not targeted longer passes or thrown at the end zone. Wow, this is just pure hilarity:

A request for the NFL to investigate the final 1:40 of Super Bowl XLII

Nowhere in the above rules does it state that in the conditions of what was happening on the clock should be stopped. Also in addition to this six seconds were added to the game clock. Had this illegal clock stoppage not occurred there would have been 40 seconds less time on the clock, 46 seconds less if you consider the six seconds added on after the play. This means that after that play, if the clock was running the way it is supposed to by the rulebook, there would only be 42 seconds left on the clock. Furthermore if this was not enough on the subsequent play time was not taken off during the play followed by a random flashing of numbers on the clock.
The following drive took the Giants a total of 52 seconds on the game clock from the point that six seconds were added to the clock. However if the time was managed the way it was supposed to be there would have been no time left on the clock after Eli Manning was tackled at :50 seconds on the game clock. This irrefutable proof demands that Super Bowl XLII be reviewed from the point of the first illegal stoppage.

So should the Patriots have won? Who cares, Eli Manning is going to Disneyland World, maybe. More on that later, maybe.

My vote is to asterisk the Patriots record with no explanation to whether the asterisk references the “clock management violations” in the Super Bowl or the fact that the Patriots cheated this season at least once. It would be the perfect end to “The Perfect Season®”.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/08/18-1-refuse-to-lose/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/01/super-bowl-logos/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/01/super-bowl-logos/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:40:23 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/01/super-bowl-logos/ I found this great history of the Super Bowl’s logos out there on the internets. It’s interesting to see how far it has evolved (or devolved). Some of my most favourite logos are the classic ones from years ago, especially SBIX. The SBXXV logo is an absolute jewel and so perfect for the milestone it was, I can only hope in 2015 they come up with something that enhances on these same elements and theme for the 50th.

I have had a general distaste for most of the newer logos, but must admit a few of them have grown on me (including this years).

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/02/01/super-bowl-logos/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/30/clove-out-boy-or-cloverfield-on-high/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/30/clove-out-boy-or-cloverfield-on-high/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:44:27 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/30/clove-out-boy-or-cloverfield-on-high/ So the talent that is Peter Wentz wrote in his journal a week and a half back about how Cloverfield, or writer Drew Goddard, was in some way, shape, or form influenced by “Infinity On High”.

Peter Wentz

Drew Goddard, who we’re a big fan of, from buffy the vampire slayer and lost wrote this movie and based much of it on infinity on high- which i didn’t learn until after i’d seen the movie. now in retrospect he pointed to some of the lines specifically, mostly on “the takeover”. its interesting to see someone else’s interpretation of your songs. anyway, if you get a chance check out the movie (and keey your eyes open at the end).

Well this only makes my love for Cloverfield and FOB greater, but it turns out it was a little less Wizard Of Oz, a little more “inspiration”. Did you catch that clever little reference? Drew Goddard cleared it up with MTV today.

Drew Goddard

“To clarify … I was playing their album the whole time while writing ‘Cloverfield.’ I don’t want to undercut [the idea that the movie was inspired by FOB's album], but it was just that the album came out at the same time as I was writing the script, and the way I work, I need music on in the background, and I was playing it, so it was inspiring in that sense, so I told them it was inspiring,” Goddard said. “There may have been confusion as far as the movie being inspired by it — and I did mention the whole Pink Floyd/ ‘Wizard of Oz’ thing, because I bet you would see some crazy sh– there — but it certainly was not a track-by-track plan.”

Either way it’s refreshing to know the minds behind such a wonderful film enjoy some pop hits mixed in with all the the indie they slid into the film.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/30/clove-out-boy-or-cloverfield-on-high/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/28/iphone-zoom/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/28/iphone-zoom/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:26:28 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/28/iphone-zoom/ For all of those who, like me, know the iPhone is a way of life, this should be your next must have. That’s right, a zoom for your iPhone camera. I believe the specs are that the zoom attachment alone is twice as heavy as the iPhone, all in all this thing is just ridiculous.

Don’t you love the paper iPhone they used to display it? I think that is my favourite part.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/28/iphone-zoom/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/23/i-found-the-cloverfield-monster/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/23/i-found-the-cloverfield-monster/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:05:02 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/23/i-found-the-cloverfield-monster/ This morning on my way into work, I saw something that looked familiar, in a devastating way. The fear it invoked in me as I realised I had solved the mystery of Cloverfield was as equal as the excitement. There… staring back at me… in the sky… right there… on a Boys Town billboard of all places!

Okay, okay, so Boys Town just has a horrible logo. I even blew it up a bit and blurred it to make it look a little more mysterious for your viewing pleasure. I saw this thing this morning and was so confused, but then I found out Boys Town is a Jester training academy, so it makes total sense now.

The other night I apparently lured Brandon into all the Cloverfield side stories, and realised quite a few people might be missing out on some of the Cloverfield “Universe”. For those of you who didn’t geek out for months over Cloverfield, this should catch you up on a fair amount, but if you haven’t seen it, there are spoilers over there.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/23/i-found-the-cloverfield-monster/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/22/cloverfielding/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/22/cloverfielding/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:46:24 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/22/cloverfielding/ So I saw Cloverfield last Friday. It was pretty much exactly what I was hoping for. The writing was spectacular, the character development was far deeper than what you normally find in Monster/Horror films, the cinematography was a work of art. I know a lot of people in the theatre I was in wanted it to be all about the monster, and were disappointed when it wasn’t and when it didn’t wrap up neatly; however these are the exact reasons why this film is already eating away at me to see it again.

I think the best description of what to expect of this film was by Abrams himself:

JJ Abrams on Cloverfield

“A Cameron Crowe movie meets ‘Godzilla’ meets ‘Blair Witch Project’…”

I absolutely love a movie filled with characters whom you see parts of yourself in, even their darker moments, and this movie does that to me in a way I haven’t experienced since “The Rules Of Attraction”. It’s innovative in a myriad of ways (amazingly so), but it’s backed up by the solid foundational elements most big budget films miss. This is the sort of genre shifting film that shows Hollywood; there are more talented actors out there than the regular big name stars they shove down our throats, there are more talented thinkers, writers and producers out there who still want the art of cinema to evolve, CGI and effects don’t have to be the main focus of a shot and can seamlessly fit with the live footage.

If you haven’t yet seen it, you need to; if you have already seen it, geek out over Slusho, jamieandteddy.com, and Tagruato and call me up for Round 2.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/22/cloverfielding/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/20/randall-paul-jenkins-live/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/20/randall-paul-jenkins-live/#comments Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:13:19 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/20/randall-paul-jenkins-live/ So last night I debuted the “RPJ, Live” portion of this website. I am not yet one for the immediate Twittr phenomenon that is sweeping peoples lives, frankly that scares me, however I figure bringing a few of the things about me I do regularly update on the internet into one nice little page would be a good starting point.

Amongst the things you will find here are Facebook status, Last.fm recently played, and Flickr photos. Hopefully it provides a little more insight into my days/nights.

The launch last night included me attempting to photo blog Kyle’s birthday extravaganza at Stingaree. So check that out if your interested.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/20/randall-paul-jenkins-live/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/this-could-tear-me-away-from-cbtl/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/this-could-tear-me-away-from-cbtl/#comments Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:02:25 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/this-could-tear-me-away-from-cbtl/ Apple filed some patent work a bit ago on to-go ordering in conjunction with the iPhone. It’s an amazing concept and fits right in with their work utilising network usability in brick and mortar stores. Apple’s first roll out of that concept of business to user interaction is the iTMS operability in Starbucks. It’s a pretty ingenious system I must admit, and can’t wait to see where Apple takes us with the new patent work.

Phil Lu some time ago worked up some mock ups that show us perhaps where this technology could be used. His concept has Apple teaming with Starbucks once again, and it should be noted Phil did these before the patent information from Apple became public knowledge.

You can see the rest of the concept right here. This is the sort of example of how the iPhone is beyond revolutionary, it has the potential to create new functions we never knew we needed, and makes life that much more fun.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/this-could-tear-me-away-from-cbtl/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/internets-internets-internets/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/internets-internets-internets/#comments Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:30:37 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/internets-internets-internets/ So during the facelift to the blog, I revised some of the behind the scenes stuff to make it easier to find via search engines and the like. Why do I set this post up with that? Because I don’t want you to think I just regularly “google myself” 5 pages deep. So I was looking through the results to see where things wound up, and found a spectacular jewel in all of that mess.

So somehow I clicked on this, which looked sort of a worthy click from the Google results. Here is where it got interesting; I actually know the last 2 people on that list quite well, though it really doesn’t designate why they show up (or any of the other people). So being as Matt and Brad are pretty interesting people in their outright, I clicked on each ones “Pipl profile” (I’m sort of confused Pipl seems to somehow track people’s instances on the internet, though when you go to it’s main page it just does “Deep Internet Searches”, so I am not sure if you can ever recreate this magical moment for yourself and your friends). I will now share you the highlights that only myself and 4 other people will think is even remotely funny (but hey that is twice as many people as read this website).

Matt Traxler:

Traxler was tagged with the loss and is now 0-2 on the season…

Brad Filip:

Filip is a Belgian freestyler…

If you decide to do some playing around over at those links you will find that I am apparently important enough to have people tagged with my name, but not important enough to have a profile that would deliver fictitious one liners about me. One can hope, one can dream.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/13/internets-internets-internets/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/12/inquisitor/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/12/inquisitor/#comments Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:45:25 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/12/inquisitor/ For all of my Apple loving friends out there, I present a bit of genius to you.

Cue some dramatic music…
Inquisitor.

It’s pretty much like what happens when Spotlight gets drunk, calls up Safari, and that sultry little temptress invites Spotlight over for a night of passionate meshing of features. It’s been around for a while, but version 3 is it’s strongest showing yet. I’m relatively one not to go all plug in crazy on my OS/Apps, but I think this is definitely a worthy improver on Apple’s glorious OS.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/12/inquisitor/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/11/judd-apatow-is-brilliant/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/11/judd-apatow-is-brilliant/#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:26:54 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/11/judd-apatow-is-brilliant/ A few days back I ranted away on the opening of 826LA East.

Well, recently I discovered a spectacular video Judd Apatow and friends put together to promote this lovely little non-profit. It’s quite hilarious and Jonah Hill delivers a stunning performance to say the least. Enjoy.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/11/judd-apatow-is-brilliant/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/things-you-can-learn-from-the-music-business/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/things-you-can-learn-from-the-music-business/#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:29:23 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/things-you-can-learn-from-the-music-business/ Seth Godin (who never worked in the music industry, until he started a label to prove a point), has decided to share with everyone the few things you can take away from the sinking ship, before it sinks. I wish more people in the music industry realised these things instead of denying the truth.

His first two points are such utter genius I must reproduce them here:

Things you can learn from the music business (as it falls apart)

The first rule is so important, it’s rule 0:

0. The new thing is never as good as the old thing, at least right now.
Soon, the new thing will be better than the old thing will be. But if you wait until then, it’s going to be too late. Feel free to wax nostalgic about the old thing, but don’t fool yourself into believing it’s going to be here forever. It won’t.

1. Past performance is no guarantee of future success.
Every single industry changes and, eventually, fades. Just because you made money doing something a certain way yesterday, there’s no reason to believe you’ll succeed at it tomorrow.

Do yourself a favour and read the rest of the article, especially those of you in the music industry.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/things-you-can-learn-from-the-music-business/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/david-lynch-believes-he-can-make-rational-points/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/david-lynch-believes-he-can-make-rational-points/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:46:18 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/david-lynch-believes-he-can-make-rational-points/ Everyone in the iPhone blogosphere is all a buzz about David Lynch hating on the device and the the idea that you might watch a movie on your phone. I will merely add a few points to the pile of information before I show the absolutely hilarious video of Lynch; in which he does say a few words that one could describe as cursing, I however believe he is using them in an excellent use of emphasis.

Contrary to the internet this wasn’t something he did to rant about the iPhone, it is off the “Inland Empire” DVD bonus features. So in reality, it’s another person taking something and spinning it to hate on Apple. The man has his point, but true celluloidians feel just as passionate about the difference from projected film to digital home theatre viewing.

Watching a David Lynch movie on a phone is just as equal an experience to me as watching it in a theatre; no matter what you do, you still won’t understand it.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/10/david-lynch-believes-he-can-make-rational-points/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/08/826la-east-opening/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/08/826la-east-opening/#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:15:16 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/08/826la-east-opening/ So a few weeks back Jordan Percy and I attended the opening gala of 826LA East/Echo Park Time Travel Mart in Echo Park. For those of you not familiar with 826, it is a writing/tutoring center that gives free help to students during the day, and hosts some pretty lovely workshops for the young at heart in the evenings. 826 Valencia was the first chapter, opening in San Francisco with the influence of one David Eggers. It has since caused a revolution in greater metropolitan areas and grown to seven chapters supported by 826 National. Things like this are good for our society, you see I was never taught how to write correctly and now all of you have to suffer with my overuse of commas, semi-colons and run on sentences (just kidding, 99.9% of my family are teachers, I just choose to write this way to be “artistic”).

The Echo Park Time Travel Mart is a fun little shop full of trinkets and empty packages spouting clever words on their packaging. All of the proceeds go to support 826LA and it’s programs, and this clever little store will surely have something worth picking up and making your boring house more interesting. Jordan and I chose “Robot Emotions”, because, well, because, who doesn’t love an emo robot?

Anyway, the event was absolutely wonderful, in an absolutely amazing space, with absolutely more impressive people than me. I decided to post a couple pictures showing just how amazing this event was (the fireplace in this room literally blows my mind, I mean that literally, like the proper use of it), and if any of you fair persons should be able to locate Jordan and myself in the photos, there will be some sort of prize. Of course with any internet based contest, there are rules. The rules are; people who are named Jordan Percy, Brandon Chamberlain, Lindsay Strannigan, Edward Norton, Judd Apatow, Michael Cera, Jenny Lewis, Spike Jonze and David Eggers are exempt from winning any prizes. Sorry.

Photos courtesy of Andy Barron:

Hint #1: Jordan and I are class acts.
Hint #2: Jordan and I were being stalked by a girl in a red dress, though I’m not sure if that is really pertinent to the photos.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/08/826la-east-opening/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/06/creepy-name-brilliant-idea/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/06/creepy-name-brilliant-idea/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:23:51 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/06/creepy-name-brilliant-idea/ So the lovely Lindsay Strannigan sent me this the other evening. It’s pretty much the best thing ever if you are into really non-manly things like cuddling and sleeping. I however, would never.

Ladies & Gentlemen the Love Mattress.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/06/creepy-name-brilliant-idea/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/05/revisionist-theories/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/05/revisionist-theories/#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:02:26 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/05/revisionist-theories/ So as some of you noticed a few weeks back, I had some issues with comments after I updated WordPress to version 2.3.1.3.4.5.4.3.2 due to my horribly coded blog. This led me to the dark moment of using random templates, which I tried to at least keep fresh by rotating through the templates every few days, in order to have the more important function over form.

Well here I am, a few days late, letting you all know my dream of a lovely minimalist blog is now pretty much reality. I stole a ton of code from random people who probably hate me, I got my dreams of minimalism after realising how perfect of a website McSweeney’s is for them, I even added Google AdSense (get excited). I figured a new year is always a good time for a fresh look, though this one will probably stick around for a while.

Enjoy yourselves, whoever it is that actually reads this thing, I thank you for thinking I am worth directing your browser of choice to my little piece of the Internet.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/05/revisionist-theories/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/04/freemosphere/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/04/freemosphere/#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:01:58 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/04/freemosphere/ Everyone’s favourite Emo Rap sensation Atmosphere have made available an album of thirteen songs to chase away the winter doldrums. They claim that one, I sort of like winter doldrums so no chasing them away for me. It’s called “Strictly Leakage” and pretty much exactly what you would expect from Sean Loves Ugly Girls and Ant. Download it here.

They also claim:

It’s great for first dates, crappy houseparties, or to play in the backround while you google yourself again.

Im currently googling myself, and can tell you that it really does set quite the mood.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/04/freemosphere/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/03/someone-has-way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-and-a-functioning-xbox-360/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/03/someone-has-way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-and-a-functioning-xbox-360/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:56:14 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/03/someone-has-way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-and-a-functioning-xbox-360/ I of course, have neither.

An Even More Elaborate Halo Suicide

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2008/01/03/someone-has-way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-and-a-functioning-xbox-360/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/12/19/this-was-supposed-to-be-my-political-platform/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/12/19/this-was-supposed-to-be-my-political-platform/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:36:59 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/12/19/this-was-supposed-to-be-my-political-platform/ I have often been told in my life that I would make a good lawyer (because I argue), and so at some point I decided this meant I would make a good politician. I thought about running for the water board, mainly because I thought it would be the easiest route. When you are running for office you have to have a platform, and of course to generate any sort of buzz you should pick at least one issue that is feasibly impossible to change at this time in our life (See Ron Paul, I know your game).

For me, my platform was unsolicited physical junk mail. It kind of hilarious how everyone wants to go “green” and everyone is concerned with “Inconenient Truths”, well how about this truth; I get exactly 1.3 square miles of paper growing forest worth of junk mail in my mailbox every month (Note: That stat is completely made up). So you see, the real issue of our isn’t energy, taxes, or urban sprawl, it’s the USPS backed selling of our mailbox space.

Let me give you a little factual information here; you cannot opt out of Direct Mail Marketing/Pre-Sorted Mail, you cannot ask your mail carrier to not put it in your mailbox (even if it means your mailbox is full after one day)(Note: I do understand you can do this in Canada), you have to dig between coupons for things you don’t want and offers for even more credit cards to find your real mail.

Well today I discovered the first pillars of support for what will one day be my platform for office:
The Consumer Credit Reporting Companies opt-out website. This website lets you opt out of receiving Credit or Insurance offers which is at least a start. I am not yet sure how well it works, and to go permanent you have to print out, sign and mail in a form (lame, lame and lame), but at least you have a say in some of the mail you receive.

There are also some more options the Direct Marketers Association has made available via their website, however some require you paying, most don’t guarantee anything (just like the no not call list, really doesn’t help much with no way to enforce it) and there is some funny business with who pays for this “Association” to exist (word is the Direct Marketers themselves pay for this service so they can hit you with advertising you deem acceptable). For some, it may prove helpful.

Another great ally against the fight is the Center for Democracy & Technology (I am a huge fan of technology, this democracy thing I am not so sure about though). They dedicate a portion of their website to “Opting-Out”.

I firmly stand by that people should be pushing for a democracy where we don’t have to spend our own time and money trying to make companies respect their potential customers. If you have a good product, I probably know about it and I probably will be purchasing it soon. I do not need a mailbox full of things I won’t even look at. It’s a new world of marketing and there are much more effective and less destructive ways of gaining brand awareness.

Additionally I encourage everyone who is sick of these things to use the postage paid reply envelopes that these companies include to send them either; their own junk, other companies junk or slices of rotting fruit.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/12/19/this-was-supposed-to-be-my-political-platform/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/27/so-desparately-obvious-so-obviously-desperate/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/27/so-desparately-obvious-so-obviously-desperate/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:58:43 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/27/so-obvious-yet-so-disheartening/ The music industry is full of people who are not innovative, not in touch with their target demographic, and don’t understand marketing basics, it’s true, I had a nice little stint in this dying industry. Wired Magazine, recently interviewed one of the Major Label CEO’s, Doug Morris of Universal, and the results are pretty startling, even I was shocked at what this guy admits to.

Doug Morris, Universal CEO

“There’s no one in the record industry that’s a technologist,” Morris explains. “That’s a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didn’t. They just didn’t know what to do. It’s like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?”

“We didn’t know who to hire,” he says, becoming more agitated. “I wouldn’t be able to recognize a good technology person — anyone with a good bullshit story would have gotten past me.”

The sad part about this is of course the affect it takes on our beloved music and artists, and how people like this are appointed CEO’s of huge corporations is beyond me. I stand by my patented “R. P. Jenkins Corporate CEO Fix-all”, where you replace all major executives with the top 5 graduates from Harvard Business School, and many other fine educational systems who look forward, and pay them millions a year less to make you millions a year more (while still paying them more than they would make at any other job).

Note: Ford Motors should also adopt said strategy.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/27/so-desparately-obvious-so-obviously-desperate/feed/ 1 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/21/the-way-people-meet-people/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/21/the-way-people-meet-people/#comments Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:10:17 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/21/the-way-people-meet-people/ I was reading a fairly interesting write up on “Internet Crush Du Jour” Kristen Sloan (The Winger, Apple’s iPhone Ad), and my mind started spinning a bit on some things.

Firstly, what made this girl so captivating? If you are a guy, and a guy who is into Apple, you totally were into her simple look, her being a ballerina, her using Apple. It was a great decision on Apple’s part because she is exactly the kind of girl you hope will randomly appear in your life to help with your addiction to Apple. Her website got a huge rush of traffic to it, which is weird because: why would people go to a “behind the tu-tu” ballet website? My excuse was that I have dated a ballerina or two, so I am allowed to revisit these things as some kind of healing process. Right, right? Anyway, the surprising thing is her website is pretty spectacular; Well designed, unique idea, loyal niche following (Sidenote: I am really into colons/semi-colons today, even if it means using them incorrectly). I feel like a lot of people visiting her site might have been drawn into it because of similar-to-my-own second hand ballet experiences; crushes on ballerinas, dreams of being a ballerina, crushes on the girl in the iPhone commercial who happens to be a ballerina. It’s a very interesting concept in a marketing sense. Could the NYCB could have paid for more exposure? Probably not, and kudos for realising her abilities and rewarding her with her new position.

The secondary cloud spinning in my head is about the story of her and her boyfriend. I’m sure this story crushed a few people hoping to somehow sweep Miss Sloan off her feet, but it in and of itself says so much about how our world has changed. I had no idea what dodgeball.com was, until this story. It looks interesting, but I am yet to cave into the world of telling everyone where I am at the time I am actually there (I much rather prefer hearing people tell me I was someplace I never was at). The truly interesting thing is the ease that this seemingly “everywoman” has of discussing meeting her boyfriend on, in simpler terms, the invisible world. I know people who have dated people they met online, I know some truly amazing people that I met through the Internet (in varying degrees).

It really makes you think of how you “meet” people, and people’s hang ups on meeting people in “non-traditional” ways. People still get caught up in admitting their significant other was once just a MySpace message, random IM, or fellow website visitor. I decided to mentally list out how I met the people in my life who make regular appearances (meaning I talk to them on a regular basis, stemming over years) to see where I fit in. The summary is that of 10-12 people who are regularly in my life I; met the one’s I am the closest to in a way not involving technology (unless going to college for graphic design counts), stay more in touch with the ones I can email/IM than those I have to call, only one of them was I ever “buying dinner” (those who know me well, know this is what I call the purgatory between full on dating and being friends) on a regular occasion, I have met people because of music websites and online video games who are now very good friends (such a dork).

What does all this tell us? That I am apparently not hip to the times. I utilise technology to meet new people and stay in contact with people I already know constantly, and don’t have many reservations about it. However, I still tend to be pretty “traditional” for as much of a tech-dork as I am. In reality, I think this world is changing, while staying the same. For people to have a lasting effect on us we need to see, hear, feel, smell and touch them, not just read them. I know for many the “invisible world” presents interaction in a more convenient way, and perhaps we find it just as convenient to walk away from people we meet that way.

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/21/the-way-people-meet-people/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/20/weekend-reminiscing/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/20/weekend-reminiscing/#comments Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:11:20 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/20/weekend-reminiscing/ I spent quite a few hours this weekend with my good friend Chad Pearson who was out here visiting from the ATL. Somehow I have a ton of friends in Atlanta, where did that come from? Chad convinced me to buy way too much vinyl, and then was kind enough to let me purchase some hot off the presses P is for Panda gear. Chad and I used to go to Best Buy every Tuesday and spend way too much money on music, somehow I used to be the voice of reason that would talk him out of buying way too much (though I once calculated I spent $600+ one month at Best Buy alone, without major purchases). This time Chad was trying to be my voice of reason, but he failed terribly, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

It was incredibly amazing to see Chad again and we always spend hours discussing the days of old, and how things used to be. It made me realise that we are both really happy to be where we are right now, no matter what trials come daily and what more is sure to come. I also have come to understand that Bank of America has way cooler ATM’s than WaMu. For those of you not in the know, Chad has a company called P is for Panda that is doing things different.

It is because of these earlier events that I announce my full fledged support for Vinyl, and eliminate buying cd’s if the vinyl comes with the digital downloads. I don’t know how I was missing out on this for so long, but I was. I’m addicted, and you should join me. Is Vinyl better for the environment or something? Maybe I can go green?

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]]> http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/20/weekend-reminiscing/feed/ 0 http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/15/ricky-williams-loves-the-apple/ http://randallpauljenkins.com/2007/11/15/ricky-williams-loves-the-apple/#comments Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:13:30 +0000 R.P. Jenkins, Esq. <