Rock On

There's a big guitar in LA's City Center. I don't know why. Maybe it fronts a Hard Rock. I saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs there in mid Oct. I liked the movie.

Thanksgiving Joke

You can tell this joke during Thanksgiving.

"I picked up a hitchhiker on the way here, and it was a pilgrim from the 17th century. We were driving along and I noticed he wasn't wearing his seat belt. So I said "hey man! Hey turkey! Buckle up!" He pointed to his hat and said "It is."

Hitchhiking Pilgrim - watch more funny videos

Facebook in Excel

Most office workers like to look at Facebook on their PCs. But not only is it easier for the user to view their 'news feed' on a desktop, it's also easy for passersby to see. For privacy and job security reasons, the user would prefer to conceal the content and source of data. The Facebook page design is well known and distinguishable from afar. The solution for desktop browsing of a News Feed is to use a desktop application, which is now possible using Adobe AIR technology and the Facebook Feed API (which developers use to tap into the FB server).

I propose making a desktop application that resembles an Excel sheet. Each row could contain, in one column, a friend name, and in the next column, their status or news item. In subsequent columns, the user could 'like','unlike', and 'comment.' In this way, instead of having to "Alt-Tab" away from the Facebook web page to an Excel sheet, the very act of using Facebook would look productive.

Other features: Maybe a workbook could have a sheet for each of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. And, you could customize the look of the app to resemble your office's version of Excel (Mac, 2003, 2008 etc). It's also easy to insert advertising messages. The mockup above innocently includes messages from Del Monte and Coca Cola.

I'm hesitant to create this application because it would likely decrease productivity and because another developer could easily create and market such an app. TweetDeck for example could skin its app to resemble Excel.

But I thought it would be a good sample in my portfolio for an AIR and Facebook app. What do you think?

Horse Walks into a Bar

I came up with this song a few years ago and have performed it on stage. I have been learning Flash, so I took a stab at making an animation based on the song, which is based on an old joke: "Horse walks into a bar. Bartender says why the long face."

Horse Walks Into a Bar - watch more funny videos

My JFK Theory

It's been 20 years since the Berlin Wall became moot. That's why my previous post has a YouTube clip (which I made from a YouTube documentary) of that amazing first night.

Speaking of Berlin, I had a theory about JFK's killer being an angry German grammar teacher who was offended by the President's proclamation of being a "jelly donut." But it turns out that Kennedy perfectly delivered the line. See...

Ich bin ein Berliner

Uphill Battle

On the morning of Oct. 24th, I ran in the 24th Annual Palm Springs Tram Road Run. It's a steep climb, rising 2000 feet in 3.7 miles. The final 100 meters is the most steep, which might explain why I lack grace and charm in the finishing photo. I earned a little trophy for finishing 26th overall (463); 3rd out of my age/gender division (which numbered 24). Whoo-hoo!

My cousin Chet finished 5th overall, first in division. My aunt finished first in her division. We hitchhiked down the mountain after the awards ceremony (rather than wait on the shuttle bus). Our driver was first in her division as well. A carload of winners!! I felt so out of place..

About the Race

Results