Back in the '80's I loved my trusty Sony Walkman. With that brick-sized unit I could carry around 8 songs on a cassette tape--anywhere I wanted to go. And if I stashed an extra J. Geils tape in my pocket I could make it 16 tunes....oh yeah, a portable stereo system; it was the coolest thing around (even if I wasn't). And all it took was four AA batteries to make that baby rock.
But fast forward to 2006 and things are going at warp speed, even for a guy who makes his living on the Internet. However, thanks to Santa dropping off a new 30 Gig iPod daddy's back in the game. It holds 7,500 songs (that's a lot of Sammy Hagar) not to mention movies, pics, and podcasts. So far this bad black thing has held up to some serious rocking without a glitch. So I'm hooked on the iPod, and I'll report in on how it works with full-length movies; but check out CNET if you want that info now, as I have to go help kids with their homework ;)
Hang 'em High.... { 7:05 PM }
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wall Street, about 10 minutes ago.
{ 12:22 PM }
I took this pic of one of my cousin's turkeys. These guys come right up and peck at shiny objects like a watch or bright colors (particularly red). They sure are inquisitive, interesting creatures. Taste good, too. But I never see them this close during spring gobbler season.
{ 12:15 PM }
In his travels around the globe my uncle has logged thousands of miles on his trusty BMW motorcycle. He's posted some fantastic photos of people and sites he's encountered along the way. They are snapshots of lives and landscapes most of us will never see.
Scroll down for lots of pics.
{ 7:22 AM }Nice shot of a bald eagle over Manhattan. Looks like a striper in its talons!
{ 7:19 AM }Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Everyone is weighing in on the death of Gerald Ford. So I will add some commentary. Ford was the first sitting president I have a memory of. I can recall lying on a couch in
Goodbye James Brown. I've been cranking up his Christmas album for the past few years, now.
If you want to chuckle check out this quick clip of the funkmeister being interviewed after an arrest a few years ago. This is a hoot.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Every year this photo is sent around of Arlington cemetery (It checks out on Snopes).
They died on windswept beaches, verdant jungles, and ancient deserts. They took the fury of the enemy so the rest of us didn't have to.
Rest in peace this Christmas, now and hereafter.
{ 8:57 AM }Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Home repair 101
If it's still, and it should be moving.... apply WD-40.
If it's moving, and it should be still.... apply duct tape.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Joe Barbera, "Exits stage left."Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Tom and Jerry, Quick Draw McGraw and Baba-Looey, and Snagglepuss, even! We grew up on this stuff.
How many hours did I spend entertained by these zany characters and their outlandish stories? Sure, Hanna-Barbera creations were used to market a myriad of products, but they existed as entertainment first, not as penciled product pitchmen. (We know that the Fred and Barney who have been fixtures on cereal commercials for years aren't the real Fred and Barney; they're not drawn the same way and they have different voices.) Above all the Hanna-Barbera logo was a stamp that guaranteed a fun half hour.
Hanna and Barbera, may you rest in peace in Murgatroid, or wherever the great cartoonists go.
{ 8:12 AM }Thursday, December 14, 2006
Somewhere in the murky waters of the
He's making a list
And checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice!
Ah yes, there's nothing quite like a visit from that red-suited jolly old elf. Every kid wants to make it on Santa's good list. But did you ever wonder what happens to the "bad" list? That list falls into the hands of The Krampus, Santa's dark assistant. In Germanic lore, The Krampus is sometimes depicted as a black-clad version of Santa, and sometimes he possesses more devilish attributes such as cloven hoofs and horns. In small European towns there are festivals in his honor, and re-enactments to thrill, a sometimes frighten, children. As the legend goes, The Krampus--like Santa--descends the chimney in the dead of night. But he doesn't bear gifts, oh no, instead he carries a stick and burlap sack. The Krampus then spanks the naughty children and leaves coal in their shoes, and sometimes stuffs the really bad kids in his sack to be carried off into the forest! A handy little tale in case you'd like to start a new Christmas tradition in your own household.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
"A day that will live in infamy." Sixty-five years ago this morning, the Japanese attacked
Earlier this week I looked up from my computer to see an aircraft carrier passing by my office window. It was the Intrepid, that glorious ship that survived five WW2 kamikaze attacks and helped pluck the Mercury and Gemini astronauts from the sea. She was being towed laboriously down the
The Intrepid is one of many local attractions I've taken for granted having grown up in the shadow of NYC. Once the two-year $60 million overhaul is complete I'll have to make it a point to check her out.
Yesterday after a meeting I was walking up Broadway with a colleague. We were a couple blocks south of Wall Street when we came upon a group of people gathered around a motionless guy lying prone on the sidewalk. We paused when we saw what everyone was looking at--the person was lying mortally wounded in an oozing pool of blood! It couldn't have come from a car or fall, and my first thought was that he had been shot or stabbed. At that moment the police were rolling up. The victim looked like a well-dressed guy in an overcoat. A killing on a busy downtown sidewalk in the middle of the day? All I could do was pull out my cellphone and dial "M" for...
May 2005 | June 2005 | July 2005 | August 2005 | September 2005 | October 2005 | November 2005 | December 2005 | January 2006 | February 2006 | March 2006 | April 2006 | May 2006 | June 2006 | July 2006 | August 2006 | September 2006 | October 2006 | November 2006 | December 2006 | January 2007 | February 2007 | March 2007 |
