Brilliant Corners

I was working with Google Maps for something I’m dealing with for work and thought I’d take a look and see if the “Street View” vans (or cars, or whatever they use) had been down the street we used to live on in Dallas. little StreetView trip to our old house–our first house–in Dallas. They have:

It’s odd looking at the house from this perspective. First of all, it’s no longer our house. Secondly, the current owner has been adding all kinds of changes to the front yard. It looks like he’s adding some big flower beds or something there. From the Street View, they’re still dirt so who knows what the final result will be. I’m sure he had a blast going to the Dallas Preservation Society meetings to get those changes approved. We had to go several times ourselves: first time was to let us remodel the inside, one time to get the fences approved, another time to let us tear down the old garage, and another time to get the “O.K.” to have a new front porch poured. It was a hassle of paperwork and useless meetings, but in the end we didn’t really have many problems.

Next time we’re in Dallas we’ll have to drive by and see what went into the new flowerbeds, since I doubt Google will update the views anytime soon. I don’t really have that strong of an attachment to the house anymore, but it is a strange experience seeing it from the angle of ex-owner, and seeing the changes that have happened since we sold it.

And as long as he keeps the trees that we planted, one after each child was born, then I’ll look on the changes with approval. Otherwise, he’ll need a talking to.

How sad is it that out of all the Academy Award nominees for this year, I’ve seen only one in its entirety (Sicko) and another half-way through (Ratatouille)? Well, pretty sad.

Whether you want to call it “Getting Things Done” or call it keeping a list of Things That Need To Be Done, there are many applications out there to help you out. I’ve tried out several of these applications, as well as several web-based ones (like Ta-da List). I think I’m finally ready to give up with all the fancy solutions, and have returned to a simple one: the plain (though lightly-formatted) text file.

The first of the applications I tried was OmniOutliner-based KinklessGTD system primarily because of Merlin Mann’s review and recommendation. It worked pretty well, but I’d occasionally get frustrated with how the system worked (with the rebuilding and whatnot). Then I tried iGTD and that also worked well, but something about the app’s layout and icons eventually turned me off it (free or not). When The Omni Group announced the OmniFocus alpha testing, I thought I’d go ahead and try that one as well. I’ve been using that up until early this week. It’s worked the best of all the options I had tried so far, but still it seemed to be too much work for keeping a todo list.

More recently I’ve seen some posts about YAGTDA (Yet Another Getting Things Done Application) called Things. It certainly looks pretty and I was enthused enough about the application and hype to sign up for access to the beta. I haven’t received an email with info on how to get the beta, but I don’t think it’ll matter. I think I’ve moved on from the big (and not cheap) applications for my todo lists. I haven’t stuck completely to the GTD philosophy (or theory or implementation or whatever) so I’m not sure I ever really needed one of the heavyweight apps in the first place.

Today, when looking for something simpler I came across a couple of TextMate bundles that are more along the lines of what I need, especially since most of my day is spent in TextMate anyway. I first found Henrik Nyh’s Tasks bundle, which in turn pointed to Sven Fuchs’ Taskmate bundle, which is based off of Tasks, but is a little more functional. And it’s exactly what I need (for now). It uses a simple text file as the base with some minimal formatting (colons and dashes) to mark up your task/todo list. This is more like it. Not jmuch effort needed and it does exactly what I need.

I did have to make a few changes to Taskmate for it to work for me. I like using the Quicksilver “Append to” command, but it only allows appending text to files ending with the “.txt” extension. After adding the Taskmate bundle, I opened up Textmate’s Bundle Editor and changed the following info:

fileTypes = ( 'todo' );

to

fileTypes = ( 'txt' );

so that it will recognize .txt files instead of .todo files. In order to avoid issues with other basic text files, I added another line to make sure it’s working with Taskmate files:

firstLineMatch = 'Todo List';

Now, in order for Taskmate to work, the file must have a “.txt” file extension, and the first line of the file must be “Todo List”. Of course, if you’re reading this and would like to use your own qualifier, just make the necessary changes. I did make this solution a little more complicated than the default installation, but once these things are set, you don’t have to think about it again.

I should have posted this yesterday, on my actual birthday, but I was too occupied with work and then with my new toy.

I didn’t make any real new year’s resolutions this year, so instead I’m making a list on my birthday on what I intend to do this coming year:

1. Quit smoking once and for all, dammit (starting now)
2. Draw more often in my sketchbook, and post some of my favs here on this site
3. Take more photos, and post more to Flickr
4. Ride my bike more, and if I can’t go for a ride, so some other exercise
5. Write more which includes giving NaNoWriMo another shot this year
6. Start up that project I’ve been stalling on for a year
7. Post more to this weblog

In a years time, I’ll take a look back and see how I’ve done. Also, how is it that I’m turning 36 already? Where have all those years gone? :)

We’d had snow falling from the sky at various levels of intensity at least ten different times so far, but I still can’t get used to it.

While growing up in Texas snow was a novelty. We would maybe get one snowfall a year. Sometimes it would stick, but usually it didn’t; or, it wouldn’t stick on the ground for long. In Texas, I think we’d get ice or sleet more than anything else.

It snowed every year, sometimes heavily, during my years living in Michigan. I can’t remember if I grew to hate the snow and ice, or whether I enjoyed it. I know there were some days when walking across the Michigan State campus, carrying my heavy band instrument, that I hated the slipping and sliding the snow and ice caused.

We’re back in the north again, and the snow has been falling, especially the last couple of weeks. And I like it. A lot. It hasn’t collected on the ground so much yet, so it hasn’t interfered with driving yet, so my mind may end up changing later. I just find it wonderfully peaceful, and it makes the dropping temperatures just that much more bearable. It’s definitely a nice change from Texas.

So, quite a bit has happened since the last time I posted anything here…

1. I finally, finally finished all my school work and received the diploma for my Bachelors degree;
2. we sold our house in Dallas and moved to a new city and state;
3. we moved into an apartment/loft, which is the first true apartment that I’ve ever lived in;
4. I just recently launched a monstrous Ruby on Rails project for work that I’d been working on for months;
5. we all bought new bikes and I can’t wait to ride mine again;
6. we’ve been eating some great food and soaking up our new culture, but damn, I miss a good Mexican food meal;
7. and there’s probably much, much more but it will have to wait.

Oh, and I also redesigned this site, but I wonder who checks website/weblog designs much anymore. Everyone reads via newsreaders these days, right?

Last week I finally graduated with a Bachelors degree (English Literature, if you can believe that). When I walked across the stage during the University of North Texas commencement ceremony, I finally made that first step into the working world.

Oh, wait. I’m already there!

My first semester at a university (at Michigan State) was in the fall of 1989. There were many starts and stops, degree changes, and school changes in between. I eventually dropped out about 11 years ago and started working full time.

Then, a few years ago, a good friend of mine re-enrolled and began working on his degree again - after an absence almost as long as my own. Slowly but surely, by taking one or two classes a semester, I completed all the classes I needed to complete my degree. So, now, after almost 17 years, I have completed my college education.

It still boggles my mind that it’s finally over. While going back to school I continued to work full time. We had our second child somewhere in the middle of all this, too. This really wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of my wife, who sometimes didn’t get the breaks she needed when I was at class, or at the coffee shop studying. It was tough at times, but we made it work somehow.

Now, what’s next? Well, that’s the question I’m still asking myself. Stay tuned.

I have yet again relaunched this weblog. This time I’ve done away with weblog applications that others have written and have rolled my own (yet again).

This time I’ve written a very simple weblog app with Ruby on Rails. It doesn’t do anything fancy, but that’s all right with me. I needed a simple project to get my Rails chops back in shape.

There are still a few things that may break or not work, but I think I’ve taken care of all the important stuff. If you do get an error or anything, please let me know.

The evidence is overwhelming; I honestly think I’m cursed. Yesterday, I had yet another hard drive fail on me. This time, the hard drive in my Powerbook died. And it died hard.

Amazingly enough, the drive died as I was backing it up. So, even though it didn’t complete the backup, it did copy all the important things (namely my Users directory) to the external drive before it bit the dust. If I’m not the perfect example of why you should back up your data (and often!), I don’t know who is.

I’m happy that everything important is safe, but what a hassle it is. I’m now without my Powerbook for at least a week. sob

Heed my warning: back up your data!

About two hours ago I turned in my graduation application. If I pass the two classes I’m taking right now (no real reason I shouldn’t), I will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in May. Me. Graduating. Finally!

My first semester of college was in the fall of 1989 at Michigan State University. I’ve had several stops and starts since then, but I’ve now been on the right track long enough to get my degree. It’s amazing that a) I’m finally getting it done, and b) that it took me as long as it did. Whew!

But that’s not all the big news this year.

Most of you reading this site already know this, but last Friday (January 20th) was my last day as a Yahoo! employee. There really are too many reasons for my leaving to list here, but let’s just say that’s it’s been something in the works for a while. There were several “things” that all happened at just the right time to make leaving Yahoo! the right choice. I’m now contracting with a company that a good friend works with and I couldn’t be happier.

There are more issues to think about now that I’m basically self-employed (health insurance, life insurance, etc.) but I definitely feel up to the task. I have a lot to learn, but I’m enjoying the process so far.

Oh yeah, there’s still some other news, too.

Earlier this month, I broke the news to my parents that we’re moving this summer. Sometime in May, or June, or July, we’ll be picking up the family and moving from Dallas on up to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Again, there are too many reasons to list here, but this also has been a while in coming. It was hard breaking it to my folks, especially my mom, but I think this move will be good for us. No, great for us.

This has already started out to be a crazy year, and January isn’t even over. I’m sure there are going to be some bumps in the road, but at the end of it all, I know it will all be worth it.

Wish me luck! :)

Another year is now (just about) over and I guess it’s about time I did a yearly media roundup. I’ve done similar things in the past, but I let the tradition lapse a few years. Since I don’t have the last few years’ roundups available for comparison, I’m not too sure if I did any better (consumed more media) this year or not. These lists will just have to stand on their own.

So, without any further ado, here are the lists…

Literature

Thanks to my English classes at school, I’ve had to read more than I normally would in a year. Here’s the full list of books I’ve read this year (in the order read):

1. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne (for ENGL 4400)
2. The Polysyllabic Spree - Nick Hornby
3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (for ENGL 4400)
4. Cat’s Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut (for ENGL 4400)
5. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler (for ENGL 4400)
6. Native Son - Richard Wright (for ENGL 4400)
7. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (for ENGL 4400)
8. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (for ENGL 4400)
9. My Ántonia - Willa Cather (for ENGL 4400)
10. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain (for ENGL 4400).
11. Moby Dick - Herman Melville (for ENGL 4400)
12. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
13. Shutterbug Follies (Graphic Novel) - Jason Little
14. Blankets (Graphic Novel) - Craig Thompson
15. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
16. The Postman Always Rings Twice - James M. Cain
17. V for Vendetta (Graphic Novel) - Alan Moore
18. Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling
20. Alias Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel) - Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Gaydos
21. Spring Snow - Yukio Mishima
22. Ice Haven (Graphic Novel) - Daniel Clowes
23. Y: The Last Man Vol. 1: Unmanned (Graphic Novel) - Brian K. Vaughan
24. Superman: Red Son (Graphic Novel) - Mark Millar
25. The Fortress of Solitude - Jonathan Lethem
26. Stranger Things Happen - Kelly Link
27. Men and Cartoons - Jonathan Lethem
28. Tricked (Graphic Novel) - Alex Robinson
29. Gary Benchley, Rock Star - Paul Ford
30. More Box Office Poison (Graphic Novel) - Alex Robinson
31. Magic For Beginners - Kelly Link
32. Double Indemnity - James M. Cain
33. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
34. The Pragmatic Programmer - Andrew Hunt & David Thomas

Film

I didn’t see as many films this year as I wished I had. We subscribed to NetFlix for most of the year, but we were horrible about using it, and eventually cancelled. That being said, here are some of the better films I saw this year (in no particular order):

• Howl’s Moving Castle
• Hotel Rwanda
• Me and You and Everyone We Know
• Serenity
• City of God
• The Incredibles
• The Bicycle Thief
• Maria Full of Grace
• Vera Drake
• The 40 Year Old Virgin
• Mad Hot Ballroom

Music

I definitely stubled onto (or was introduced) to some fantastic new music this year. Here’s a list of bands or artists that I first heard of, and began listening to this year:

• Emiliana Torrini
• M.I.A. (I think she was this year)
• Diplo
• Keren Ann
• Built to Spill (yes, I’m late to the game here)
• Carla Bruni
• Spoon (late, yet again)
• Klint

Well, that’s about it for 2005. I’m looking forward to many more good books, good films, and some new music in the coming year.

Okay, now off to the New Year’s Eve party!

Things have been quiet here because I’ve been spending just about all my spare time on a Ruby on Rails photolog application. You can see the results of the first public version here: http://kindofblue.com/

I really don’t want this weblog to fill with entries only about Ruby on Rails, but I’ve got to tell you: it has really won me over. The more I learn, the more I’m surprised at how easy it makes putting up a complicated application together rather quickly. I hit quite a few roadblocks when working on the photolog, but more often than not, all it took was a quick pointer from Erik Benson and then I’d get it. Then even more things would make sense.

It takes a bit of trial and error to get the hang of Ruby and Rails, but once you do, you really won’t look at web development the same way again. Honest.

I just now finished watching the archived performance of Pink Floyd at the London Live8 concert (which you can download for yourself over here). And boy did it bring back some memories.

Pink Floyd was my first, big musical obsession. I had brief infatuations with The Beatles, Rush, and Jesus Christ Superstar, but it was Pink Floyd that really sucked me in. I bought, and still own, all their records on vinyl (of course). I even tried to keep up with the less-than-satisfying solo careers of Roger Waters and David Gilmour. I also watched Pink Floyd: The Wall at least thirty times over the course of five years. Through junior high and most of high school, Pink Floyd was my soundtrack.

The first big concert I attended was Pink Floyd at the Pontiac Silverdome, outside of Detroit, in 1987. I thought it was fantastic, but looking back, the over-produced and extra-flashy effects were only there to cover up the fact that Roger Waters wasn’t playing with them. Still, it was almost all of Pink Floyd, and there I was, sucking it all in. I was in heaven.

My interest in Pink Floyd took a back seat in my senior year of high school once I discovered “alternative” groups like Jane’s Addiction, harder bands like Bad Brains, and funkier ones like Fishbone. I kept the Floyd records around, and would play them occasionally, but they didn’t command my attention like they used to.

Now, jump ahead to a few weeks ago when I heard the news that Floyd was going to reunite for the Live8 concert. I didn’t want to believe it at first; I mean, come on, I don’t even think Waters and Gilmour had talked to each other in fifteen years. And now they were going to get onstage again? Together? Yeah, right!

But, in the end, it did happen. And this morning I watched the videos from the Live8 concert. There they were. Although they all look like grandfathers–which they probably are–and their voices aren’t quite what they were twenty years ago, they sounded great and they did seem to be enjoying themselves on stage. I don’t hold out much hope for them permanently reuniting and touring together, but, oh man, wouldn’t that be great?

You may have seen the stupid commercials where there’s some sort of important meeting–I think one is supposed to be a congressional hearing–and someone gets a note passed to them or a whisper in their ear. Then they stop the meeting to announce something like “Wow, I just saved a bundle on my auto insurance!” Well, that was me just a few days ago. Although I wasn’t in any important meeting, or in a stupid commercial.

For a while I’ve been thinking that our auto insurance premiums were too high, but I had no idea how high they were. My current policy was due for renewal on the 26th, so I thought it would be a good time to start looking around to see if I could find something better. I did find something much, much better. 425 dollars better.

I called up my current insurance agent and asked him what was going on and wondering why my premiums were so high compared to everywhere else. He couldn’t really answer, but said he’d “run some numbers” and see if he could get me a better deal himself. He couldn’t. He came kind of close, but nowhere near what Progressive and Geico and the like were offering.

So, I went with Progressive, who are going to save me about 850 dollars a year, and with much better coverage to boot.

I’m still not quite sure why I’m back with a weblog, but here I am. I often find myself with something to say, but nowhere to say it. So, here’s another weblog. Again. I put this up a little quicker than I had planned on, so some things may not work all that well just yet.

I had planned on turning brilliantcorners.org into a photolog/portfolio site, but that plan has changed. If I ever get around to getting something like that together, I will probably put it over at kindofblue.com, since that domain has been empty for way too long.

So, hi again.