January 2004 Archives

First it was his and hers Powerbooks. (Kind of. That's another story.) Now its weblogs. My wife Kristen got her own weblog now. There goes the neighborhood.

She is not a techie, but a women's health care nurse practioner that opened her own practice recently. Expect very different content then what I write. (We are no Ben and Mena.) I write software and talk to myself a lot.) Kristen believes in a more low intervention, natural and holistic way of providing care then what it typically. Often we'll be listening to news radio, or watching the new new and she'll exclaim what crap! (I hear that while she is surfing around also.) My reply for months now has been you should have a weblog so you can write that. Finally hubby came through and set one up on TypePad.

We used TypePad because she was already comfortable witht that system after using it to communciate to patients and activists during the forced closure of Elizabeth Seton Birth Center were she used to work.

It turned out well particularly for my meager design skill. It was also fun to collaborate on its design. (I miss that so.) I tried using the visual template builder which is really great, but in the end I had to convet the templates I built to change 2 parameters in the stylesheet. (argh!) The banner has padding added that the template builder does not let you remove. It also doesn't let you control the page margins that the content frame is butt up against the top of the page. It also does support any type of footer on the pages. Right now we are coping without one, but it would have been nice. I have no doubt that its just a matter of time till these get addressed given SixApart's track record.

So please check out my wife's spiffy new weblog and give her some love (and traffic). It's quite good and she's taking to it like a fish to water. Not that I'm biased or anything.

Last year I made a post about music used in TV commercials that I recognized and have been listening to. (For all the posts I made about technology and other bits of sagely wisdom the one on commercial music got the most traffic of any each month. sigh.) I noted that I find it fascinating how commercials in recent years are becoming the modern day radio hit or MTV video. Commercials are becoming a serious source of income and potential startum for previously obscure artists. The trend has continued. Here are some more that have appeared.

BMW X3 commercial. "Sordid by Amon Tobin. Footage of the X3 driving in different terrains that are being transitioned with sweeping radar lines. The video and the music complement each other well. Amon rules,

Miller Genuine Draft. Way Out by Lazy. (Unreleased) A shaved-head bloke is walking with his bottle of MGD at a party or bar and sees his reflection in the mirror, but his MDG is a glass. (It sounds like something that one of my current favorites Thievery Corporation would do – check out Mirror Conspiracy to see what I mean.)

HP Digital Photography. Picture of You by The Cure. Camera glides through a rainy street scene with parts being frame and frozen like snapshots.

Monster.com. Wasted by Pere Ubu. Different scenes of people getting ready for job interviews and talking about today is the day. Apparently a lessor shown commercial by Monster uses Judy is a Punk by the Ramones.

Nissan Altma. Last Good Day of the Year by Cousteau. Traffic camera keeps snapping photos of the care as it drives by. There is another Altima commercial with So Nice (Summer Samba) by Astrud Gilberto.

Office Max. Rubberband Man by the Spinners. Footage of a goofy dancing guy with a parted afro delivery office supplies.

Miller. Freedom of Choice by Devo. Human domino chain through out the city until one hipster with a Miller beer steps out of the way and breaks the chain.

Volvo has used the Chemical Brothers' Loops of Fury and Paul Oakenfold's Starry Eyed Surprise in commercials. Keeping with his king of commercial license mantle, Jaguar has been using a loop from Moby's Sings of Love. There is also is a commercial featuring surf guitar king Dick Dale playing guitar on the beach. He's playing Misirlou whose use in the title credits of Pulp Fiction made famous.

I'm stumped and curious about who does the track for Michelob where a couple race each other in the pool. My style of track. Kind of reminds me of Portishead – I don't think it is though.

I've found it fascinating that MCI seems to have combined their advertising with promotions of new music releases. they even have an MTV style artist/track id caption. Michael MacDonald and James Taylor have been featured so far. (I admit to liking James Taylor to a degree. Michael MacDonald ranks up there with Steve Winwood: which is legal grounds for shooting a TV in some states.) The MCI commercials seems to only re-enforce my point that commercials are becoming the modern day radio hit or MTV video.

It's the middle of the month and I still haven't made any posts. ARGH! Like last year I thought I'd make my first post my resolutions for the new year. Nothing like a bit of public shame to get you motivated. First lets see how I did on last year's.

More and shorter weblog posts.

Failed miserably. How about no weblog posts?

Overhaul the layout of my weblog. (Finally.)

Got through most of that towards the end of the year. Still more to go.

More code first, write later.

I think I took this one too far. All I've been doing is coding.

Switch.

Did it and have no idea how I got any work done before switching to the Mac. Its been awesome – though I'm on my second Powerbook. The first one is still out for repair because of a heat issue.

Continue getting into shape. Loose some body fat not weight.

Did well here. If it weren't for the end of the year I would have done great. I've been told I look thinner though I'm at my heaviest since high school. (Not a bad thing when you consider I played basketball and worked out a few hours everyday year round.)

Read more books – particularly non-technical ones.

HA! Right. Next.

Relax more.

Good thing I didn't say not work so much. Definitely made strides throughout 2003 to be more relaxed.

Figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

Still working on that.

So on to this year:

1. Balanace coding and writing.
2. Release more of my code.
3. Keep working on getting in shape. Let's add flexibility to reducing body fat.
4. Read more books – particularly non-techincal ones. (again)
5. Catch-up and get more organized.
6. Don't work so much.
7. Figure out what I want to do when I grow up. (again)