Random Link . The Fanimatrix

Got Pro? I was happy to find out that Blogger was going to give us free users all the pay features that we had been missing all these months. In retrospect, after continuing to deal with delays in service, java exception problems up the yang, a horrible migration and the fact that you probably won't read this until long after its intended publishing date I wish they would have given us "stability" for free instead... Like Dennis Miller once said, "shit is shit, if they really wanted to screw you, they'd give you two... Can you say "Movable Type"

Random Thought . The speed to which an SUV will slow down to before going over a bump or curve is directly proportional to how big it is.

Getting old. After spending 12 hours under the baking sun in "The 909" I must say that I'm too old for all day concerts... That's not to say that Karen and I didn't have fun at K-ROQ's Inland Invasion 3 but it really stretched our patience and sanity. I can't quite figure out how I underestimated how much fun it would be I think it was due to: 1) Over glamourizing my US Festival and PowerHouse experiences and 2) Being realistic about how much we took with us to make ourselves "comfortable". Hmm, plenty of signs but we missed the turn-off - that's for sure. The day was long but we did stick it out and we did enjoy the opportunity to see some bands that we wouldn't otherwise had a chance to see "live". One thing I did note was the crowd seemed young and there was a lot of Morrissey and The Cure T-Shirts everywhere. This trend indicates that if kids want soulful, depressing music they're going to find it. I just thought it was funny that most of the people there wearing the clothing were only sperm and egg when these guys were in their hey-day... that made me feel old. Finally, I found it ironic that there was so much excitement when Duran Duran got up on stage. I looked around into the faces of thousands who, for the last decade have denounced the fab five with their every breath. Somehow, that night, it was cool to be a fan again. After laughing to myself I say this: "If you don't have Duran on vinyl - you ain't no fan"...

Upgrades and such. Well, its only taken 4 1/2 years for us to start making improvements on our home but at least we're doing it now. I'm not quite sure if its the numbing hours or TLC's slew of home improvement shows or maybe the new fangled "Queer Eye" show, but in either case - its happening. I must say that I wasn't really opposed to said improvements but I also wasn't a proponent to change as Karen can attest. I think a lot of factors were involved along with the decision of staying where we are for now and enjoying the place a little more before we start a family and start looking for "the house". As of right now, we've finally finished the living room - paint, crown molding, book case and other such improvements. We're knee deep in our office - a very cool purple now adorns the wall and our new office furniture rounds out our tribute to our favorite furniture store - IKEA. The remaining things on the list will include painting our bedroom and installing a 20" flat panel TV, re-carpeting the entire place, re-doing our kitchen cabinets and counters and of course getting a new refrigerator. It would be nice to have things cold, but not frozen and things in the freezer to be frozen, not cold. So, as we move forward I wistfully say good-bye to what would have been my choice for our funds - the 43" Samsung DLP, High Definition projection TV... sigh.

Umm... Can we say X-Box? Been there, done that.

Got Windows? Once again proving that there are no limits to the reach of Bill Gates and his kingdom we are given this little "tidbit" of information. I don't trust Microsoft with my money on my desktop, I'm certainly gonna have a problem if my ATM machine is displaying the blue screen of death when I want to get some money from it...

Random Link . Well, its hitting the fan now...

Appreciate . Lauren Grant Photography

More Google than you can shake a stick at...  By now everyone everyone seems to know about the fabulous Search Engine. I am glad to see that is has become popular as I was one of the early adopters for the strange sounding site. As time has gone by Google has implemented many other tools but to most people they are hidden gems waiting to be discovered. For instance, did you know that Google offers a news service, language translator and a price finder to name a few? Well, in case you haven't found these tools yet you should really give them a try, my favorite one is still the new Google Toolbar - it is by far the most effective pop-up blocking tool on the planet. There is so much to glean from this one site that it would be a shame not to look, you might find one or two gems yourself...

Keep in touch...  This is another example of a good idea getting better and better; Man loses dog, man finds dog, man vows to not lose dog again, invents tracking device, gets rich. How do we benefit? Well, for about $800 we can buy a matchbox sized gadget that allows us to track its (and whatever is attached to it) whereabouts. The possibilities are endless and this guy's cashflow looks that way too... Take a look and see what you think...

Brother, can you spare a dime? At least this gentleman is honest...

Don't pass go - don't collect $200... It seems that cell phone use is becoming a larger issue than it used to be - especially while driving. Even though we have laws here that should curtail their use while behind the wheel we never hear of anyone getting cited for it. Here's the way it should work - who says we can't learn from our Asian counterparts?

Dumb Crime. I've heard of some stupid things but this guy takes the cake, the frosting and the spoon...

Ticket to ride. The news calls today's generation of kids "The 'O' Generation". Unfortunately for us, the 'O' stands for obese. It seems that as a culture and certainly as a country we are out of shape and severely overweight. While most of us remember a childhood of running around and riding bikes, skates and skateboards the younger generation would rather flirt with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and the early onset of arthritis. Nowhere is this new development more obvious than at my company. After sitting through some presentations at this year's annual marketing meetings it seems that our competition is not other bike manufacturers but Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft... How in the hell do you market a bike against a console game? Of course this fact also begs the question, are we helping the put the 'O' in this new generation? Do your kids spend more time playing games in front of the TV than they do outside? Ask yourself some hard questions and be honest, your kids will thank you later...