A good year for me

Despite the news about the economy, the war, and and everything else that went wrong in 08, overall I had a pretty good year. I am starting a new venture with my wife and one of my best friends, and I'm moving into some very unfamiliar territory that will involve a hybrid blend of running my own company, doing independent consulting, and working with other friends in business in the Baltimore Washington corridor. Here are a few things that have contributed to the changes I've made in 2008.
Aside from the fact that Jillian came into our lives, wrecking our social lives and wrapping her daddy around her little finger- I've identified a few key things that have benefitted me in the past year.
1. I read GTD Getting Things Done This book really helped me increase my rate of productivity and showed me where I was wasting a substantial amount of time shuffling paper and responding to extraneous tugs on my time.
2. I read The Four Hour Work Week If GTD showed me how much time I was wasting, The 4 Hr Work Week showed me what else I could be doing with that time. This book really sent me on the social networking search, and opened my mind to the idea of multiple revenue streams.
3. I bought a Moleskine Through all of the digital technology, multiple email accounts, and PDA/ phones- there is still something inherently satisying about carrying a notebook, and scratching my thoughts down on real paper, in a real notebook.
4. I won an xbox from microsoft. This might not seem like a very big deal, but it showed me a benefit to be had by staying engaged in technology, and staying in the know with what is happening in the tech world. I attended their Heroes events, and wound up grabbing two copies of Vista.
5. I joined the local Linux user's group, bought a laptop from Dell that came preloaded with Ubuntu, and then set it up to dual-boot with Vista, and came to realize that I'm an OS agnostic. I'm not a die-hard linux guy, and I'm not a MS clone. I use what works best for what I need. Hardware and software are tools. There's nothing emotional about it.
6. I made a conscious decision to focus my efforts in an area where I already have expertise. I'm an HVAC guy who knows how to use technology, not a tech guy stuck doing HVAC. There's a subtle difference there, but it has helped me re-vamp my online presense, and has led me. to where I am.
7. I started a facilities-related blog dedicated to helping building maintenance & facilities techs do their job better called maintenance mastery, and I actually have a couple loyal readers!
8. I discovered Twitter. Join, follow me and become involved in the social networking community.
9. I found out about Zigbee. I'll talk more about this once Enercient gets up and running.
10. I quit my job when the economy was at an all-time low. For more info- see item 9.
I can't look into a crystal ball and see what the future holds 100%, but I do know that I have a complete focus, a vision for my life, and the tools necessary to be both successful and influential in the coming generation.
Stay tuned and Happy New Year!

Changes Coming in the New Year

I've got several projects in the mix coming for the new year, and I want to keep everyone updated.First, the thing we've been talking about the most, Enercient Systems Technologies is going along swimmingly. Mel and I are hosting a banquet in Columbia on the 15th, where we'll be pitching our concept for Enercient, and having an official launch.
johntindale.com is going to be going through some continual upgrades and becoming more focuses on local consulting. I still basically use it as my online business card, but I've been feeling for a while that it is time for me to specialize. I'm not a web developer, I'm not an SEO Consultant- I'm an HVAC guy who knows how to use Social Media tools to get exposure for myself and for the things I'm interested in doing.
I'm also continuing my experiments in online reselling, Google Adwords, and social media in general. The thing I've been thinking about is how to be easily identified no matter what social network I'm on- So I've been creating backgrounds and images that have the same look and feel regardless of what social network you use to connect with me. I'd be happy to hear what you think.
Finally PCF Management has been kind enough to offer part-time employment so that I have more time to work on the first two projects I mentioned. Now, let's just hope that the Amtek transition will go as smoothly as everything else has.

Happy Christmas

I would just like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas tonight, and wish everyone the very best for the holiday and new found prosperity in the coming year.

-johntindale

experiment in retail

I have been conducting an experiment in "online marketing" because I want to see for myself if people will honestly buy stuff through a reseller online. I have a google adwords account with a few search terms, and I have a couple of retail sites online.
My first page is called johntindaleresources, and I have had quite a few hits, but no takers. Traditional marketing would lead me to believe that I am using the right advertising, but that somehow I've fallen short on the delivery- meaning that somehow the people who are clicking the link are expecting to find one thing, but are being offered something else.
So my next experiment is to try to pare it down to the bare minimum for a few days leading up to Christmas, and see if people will show any interest in a no-frills bare minimum, referral site for last-minute Christmas items and see if I can actually move a product.
I had to upgrade to Google Adwords standard to allow two simultaneous campaigns, and I'd imagine in my lust for clicks, I could easily outrun my budget for this experiment, so I'm going to keep it to a max of $5/ day and only run it from here 'til Christmas Eve. Some of my keywords are "last minute shopping, ipod, and mp3 player"
I have also introduced two other factors, more popular mainline products, and more items with a lower price point. I guess we'll see.

The Bucket List

I just watched the Bucket List, and it was a good movie

For me to poop on!

Enercient Rollout

Enercient Systems Technologies is currently in development to provide wireless HVAC, lighting, and building controls and sensors for commercial use. We have a comprehensive plan to be in beta testing with our product through a partnership with our first regional partner, Oasis Mechanical

We are asking you to help us in one of three ways:

1. Spread the word about Enercient- go to our website and read more information about our plans, and tell your friends and business associates.
2. Help us build our network- think about friends and associates you may have who might be interested in using our product, or contractors in other regions across the US who may be interested in parntering with us to bring our product to their markets.
3. Invest- we are soliciting investors to provide seed funding to help bring our product to market, If you are interested, please reply to this email, call me or go to our website to view our business plan and talk to us about investing today.

I have attached a copy of our first newsletter. Feel free to forward to individuals you may feel would be interested.

Thank you,

John Tindale
phone 301-706-1490
email john@enercient.com
web www.enercient.com
Enercient Systems Technologies

My thoughts on the Big Three

I have been an auto enthusiast for most of my life, and since some of my earliest memories are of dad working on the K5 Chevy Blazer out in front of the house. I remember Saturdays filled with 4WD trucks packed and loaded early for trips with a convoy of trucks, CB Radios, big tires, mud bogs, chains and come-alongs. Everything that made owning a 4WD fun. I have always loved Detroit steel, and I love cars. I started reading Motor Trend in middle school. I've been going to the WANADA auto show every year for 15-20 years. Even if the last one was about rims and rice burners.

Then came Michael Moore in 1989 with "Roger and Me" showing how devastating the GM plant closing was to Flint, Michigan- and it got many of us wondering what was wrong with American auto manufacturers. We were shocked at how the big evil auto manufacturer ruined a town by closing that plant. I mean, shouldn't someone have MADE THEM keep it open? Shouldn't some legislation be created to keep that from happening?

So, When Saturn came out with an econobox, that was supposedly going to create US jobs, rejuvenate GM's manufacturing process and bring back the American automobile, we jumped in with both feet. We ended up buying two Saturns over the course of 10 years or so in the 90s, while in the meantime I continued to have my eye on one of those big 4WD vehicles.

On the one hand, the big three have just been giving us what we were buying. I mean, bigger was better, right? Just in case it got a little icy on that trip to the mega-mall, we needed that extra large Canyonero that could haul all of our mall-booty home safely. I mean, seriously. If Chrysler had offered an electric car in 1998, how many people would have traded in that Lincoln/ Cadillac/ Chevy/ Oldmosbile SUV to buy one? Then again, someone could have stepped in and imposed higher taxes on gas-guzzlers. Someone could have made us buy smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. I mean the Japanese manufacturers kept making small cars and NEVER offered the big evil 8-cylinder gas gluttons did they?

Someone should have seen the storm coming. Someone should have remembered the gas crisis of the 70's and early 80's. Someone should have stepped in and MADE US do the right thing. Someone should have legislated fuel economy. They already assume that we need to be told to wear our seatbelts, replace cracked windshields, buy insurance, and keep our tires inflated to the correct pressure. Someone should have been making us have some common sense at the pump.

Maybe Obama will teach us to do the right thing. I can't wait. I'm gonna spend my Obama bucks on a Toyota Prius that requires that I buy a $4,000 battery every 100k miles and not spend it on a new paint job for my 89 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup with the 5.7 liter 8 cylinder engine.

farewell, my queen

tonight, I finally shut down my old HP Pavilion. On our network at home, her name was Amidala- I know that her namesake would eventually give up her role as queen and serve as a senator- but when i bought this tower, Amidala was a queen.

It's hard to believe that I bought this HP Pavilion nearly 7 years ago, but its true. I was separated that year, and I needed a computer that I could use to manage my affairs. I shared a house with a roommate, so it was my bookkeeper, my confidant, my DVD player, and my connection to the outside world. I drafted my divorce agreement on Amidala and emailed it to my lawyer.
Amidala was the sole stewardess of my 1400 strong war chest of HVAC-related outlook contacts.
I met Mel in 04, and eventually moved in with her, and Amidala moved with me. Mel wasn't used to all the computer hardware, but Amidala became a print server for Mel's laptop when I brought comcast and a router to the house. Later, I bought a Dell which started out as a Windows Media machine hooked up to the TV in the basement, so Amidala served faithfully as a print server for a few years in our office- which is now the baby's room.
When the baby was born, Amidala was packed up and moved downstairs, to sit alongside the Dell, and continued to faithfully sit on the network so I could pull files, or other useful information as needed from her hard drive.
Last Christmas Mel got me an external HD, so we began backing up Amidala, and the other 3 computers on the network (my Dell Tower, and our two laptops) last year, and I moved all the files from Amidala to the new Dell tower. At the same time i noticed that Amidala was choking on boinc, so i wiped her hard drive, doubled her RAM and loaded Ubuntu, and she went back to happily boinc'ing away- and that has been her sole purpose since June or July.
Lately I've been thinking that Amidala was more of a drain on our electricity at the house, than her benefit looking for ET (It was taking a day and a half to complete a task) so I finally decided to shut her down tonight.
Goodnight Amidala, you were there for me through some pretty tough times. 7 years was a pretty good run. Maybe you'll make a good Ubuntu evangelist for a local non-profit org.

wireless update

After I installed the system everything worked fine until that evening when the system decided to blow heat without shutting off. We woke up to find out the house was 85 degrees. First, I never knew our system could get the house up to 85 degrees, second I discovered that it was no fault of the honeywell system.

It turns out that we've never really used the second stage of our electric heater in the 5-6 years I've lived here! I replaced the outdoor heat pump a few years ago, and I put a programmable thermostat on 2-3 years ago, but I never had any reason to get into the wiring of the air handler.
Anyway, the first night I just thought that we had the remote sitting in a cold section of the house.

The second night, I disconnected the low voltage wire that brings on the 2nd stage of heat when the first stage can't keep up, and finally this morning, I was fed up and got into the wiring inside of the air handler.

Last night I discovered that one of the heat sequencers are bad, and it is getting stuck in the "on" position. We're lucky we had the fan running in the continuous "on" position, or we would have had a burnout. It ran fine the rest of the night, and all day the next day, and then when I was out dropping Josh off with the baby momma, Mel texted that it was doing it again.

It turns out that both of the internal temperature sensors inside the heater package are bad, and it is causing the duct heater to get stuck in the "on" position. This is an easy fix, I can pick up the parts today- the bad news is that our system never used either stage of the electric heat the way it was wired before! In other words, if we had been running the electric heat before this would have shown up by now.

For now, I have temporarily disconnected the electric heat, and the system seems to be maintaining temperature. I'll pick up the parts I need today, Stay tuned...

Wireless thermostat from Honeywell

I like to stay up on HVAC technology, and I'm going to be starting an HVAC/ Energy/ Control company in a few months, so I thought it would be a good idea to buy and install the new FocusPro Wireless system from Honeywell.

The system I bought comes complete in the box with wiring and installation instructions. Sometimes it is a little tough for me to gauge how hard or easy something is to install since I'm a bit of a geek and i do this stuff for a living, but I think a DIY'er could do this with a little bit of knowledge about low-voltage wiring.
It only took me a couple hours to install, and it seems to be running like a spinning top. First I disconnected the power to the air handler- even though I was only working with low voltage, its always better to be safe than sorry. Next, I mounted the main control unit to my air handler, and wired up the connections. I have to admit, I got a little nervous when I cut the wire coming from the thermostat!

Next, I mounted the return air sensor, I mounted it high because it is important to make sure it is upstream from any humidifiers or other accessories. I wired up the sensor, and checked all my connections.

Next I returned power to the system and then synchronized all the wireless devices. Once I verified that everything was synced, I mounted the outdoor sensor.

Next, I took the new thermostat and mounted it where the old thermostat was. (since I took a honeywell t-stat out, I could use the old mounting holes) and mounted the new wireless stat. I gotta admit it was nice not having to "wire" the 'stat.

Finally, I programmed the thermostat, and then put the wireless comfort station on the coffee table. I like this thing, because I'm thinking that Mel can take it up to the baby's room and let the system run off of it, so that the baby's room doesn't get cold.

I like the outdoor sensor and the fact that the system can switch whether it reads between the thermostat and the remote. A few things I'd like to see from honeywell is a web interface and a few more "wired" inputs in the main box- like an air pressure switch to tell us when the filter is too dirty, or inputs from other honeywell accessories, like an economizer or one of their ventilation systems.At any rate, it is a good start.

5 technologies that Rock and why things will change

Recessions suck- but they give smaller, more nimble companies the ability to shine when they might have been absorbed by a larger company in better times. For example, the recession in the early 90's gave companies like Yahoo, Google, etc. the opportunity to leapfrog ahead of companies like AOL and Compuserve.

So here's my predictions for the next big winners:
1. wireless technology- wireless application developers, network providers, and mesh networking will revolutionize the communications- meaning entertainment, information, web and communications all rolled into one on one or many connected devices. We'll no longer think of a device as a connection to a system, but of a device as part of a system.


2. embedded technology- smaller chips and embedded software will allow more and more mundane everyday objects to convey more information. Shoes will warn of friction-related blisters before they occur, shirts will measure heart rate, etc. Chances are, if its an important measurement, someone right now is figuring out a way to get it with embedded tech.


3. 3D Printers- Three dimensional printers, already in development and production will allow companies to roll-out with prototypes quickly, but longer term use of the systems will eventually blur the lines between what is a prototype and what is simply a useful one-off device.


4. Nanotech- not just new fibers and new materials, but new mini-machines with gears, and pistons, and tiny nano-devices created to build tiny devices. These tiny devices will give us the ability to eventually use the technology itself the capability to to make things smaller


5. The development kit. technology already builds on technology- but soon we'll no longer need to start at square one to get to the end result. Think of kids using lego mindstorms to build "robots" or this year's college students using the research from last year's class to move a project forward. Eventually people will think it is totally natural to create software without knowing a program language, or to build a car without knowing everything about aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, etc. They will use tools produced by others, to produce tools and products for others to use.


Although each of these things seem isolated, I see them as part of a system that will revolutionize the way things are done. No longer will chips be designed by techs in a sterile building wearing white suits, but in a rented warehouse by a couple of weekend hacks. For a brief moment in time, the little development shops, and hacker groups will be able to produce high-level tech while keeping costs down.

So if you are involved in one of these technologies, get to work, stop waiting for the gov to bail you out, build something and give your neighbor a job.

Enercient Countdown

I'm getting a little nervous/anxious/excited about the Enercient project, so I decided I'd add to the hype by getting a countdown clock and posting it on my blog.

Enercient progress report

Well, last week was a stellar week for us and for Enercient. We met with our web development team early in the week, and the "junto" page seems like its going to be very cool. Thursday we attended our first meetup, a social rockstar event at RFD. Finally on Friday we locked in our relationship with the hardware provider for Enercient!

For those of you who don't know, Mel and I arrived at the idea to start Enercient after researching social platforms, online applications, etc. and tried to think about how these things would relate to the facilities management industry- one thing led to another, sending us down yet another slightly different path, and we arrived at the idea to create a fully integrated, web-enabled wireless building management system.

This has been a really cool experience for me, I've done other ventures and been involved in some pretty big things in the past, but nothing has been quite like this. Mel and I started out with the idea that if it got too wierd, or stressed us out too much, took too much time from the family, or just didn't seem like it would work- we would stop, and so far everything has been going according to our plan.

So, here we are now, and (I guess becasue of being a little older and wiser) things have progressed relatively smoothly. I have been thankful for the network of friends that I have, but we have just been able to plod along, follow our plan, and move Enercient along little by little. I am fully confident that when we "officially" launch in January, we'll be ready to go.

Check back here, and as things progress, I'll provide updates!

Go Skins!

Not a big deal

I know that in the world of Technorati, Twitter, Socialmedian, etc. ad infinitum I am pretty much small potatoes, but I have been working on a couple of projects that I happen to think are very exciting. Enercient Systems Technologies was a little idea I got to provide wireless HVAC controls to commercial buildings.

It turns out that it has become a full-blown business venture, and as we draw nearer to the official launch of the company, some very cool things have been happening:
1. Microsoft has been VERY helpful. I attended their heroes launch this year, I actually have an ACCOUNT REP, and we just recently signed up as a Microsoft Registered Partner. (depsite the fact that I've told them that we'll ALSO feature the penguin on some of our equipment.
2. We have a pending Energy Star rating in the works
3. We will hopefully have a contract with our supplier on the table in a few weeks.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, none of this is a very big deal to anyone and I try to keep it all in perspective- but for now, at least I'm excited about it!

Its official

Well, Melanie and I are starting down the "startup trail" with a new company designed to provide wireless building and controls solutions to commercial and residential homes and facilities throughout the US. The company is called Enercient Systems Technologies, and will soon be providing wireless HVAC, energy management, security, remote monitoring, and keyless entry for commercial and residential customers.

Although I have been involved in several startups and various ventures throughout my life, I feel like this is "the one." I get excited about this every time I think about it (which is quite often) and its one of those things that I feel like is actually a culmination of my life's work, and that a success with this startup will give me the sense that "we did it"

Why?
1. Its is a product that I am passionate about being sold to a market that I know very well. I have had an interest in tech ever since I first saw two robots crash land on a desert planet looking for a way to save the galaxy. Tech is my passion, and I have spent more time and effort staying up with the latest technology than normal. I know the market because I have been involved in HVAC all of my life. Ever since I climbed into my dad's service truck and rode with him to climb onto the roofs of Washington DC I have known that I was born for this stuff. (Despite the fact that sometimes I was dragged kicking and screaming)

2. It is a green product that I can offer without looking like a sellout, and without wearing flowers in my hair. The bottom line is that I care about the environment, and I have the knowledge and the ability to actually do something about it, but I don't have to hug any trees, and I don't have to wear compressed cardboard sandals to do it. I have been offering energy efficient solutions for years- who knew what I do would become such a fad?

3. It is a product that has staying power. Yes, I'm talking about legacy. I feel that this is a company that my son and daughter would someday be proud to someday work for (and eventually own) and I feel that this is something that will carry me through to retirement.

It is true that depite all of the piss and vinegar I had in my 20's I was clueless when it came to discovering what really matters. I thought I understood business, I thought I knew what it meant to change the world, and I thought I knew what role I would eventually play in this world.

Now I am 37 years old, and despite the fact that most baby boomers I know are kicking and screaming their way into retirement age, I want to use this company as the opportunity to move gracefully into middle-age, and spend the time from my mid-forties to retirement investing in the generation behind me, and leave them a world that sucks a little less than the one I have encountered this far.

I see a world where wireless products can monitor energy use and provide real-time data and energy saving solutions. I see a world where people can send and receive updates about their home on their iphones and windows mobile devices. I see a world where your heat pump can call your hvac contractor, and provide efficiency data so that your contractor can make repairs to your system proactively before catastrophic breakdowns occur. I see a world where building systems technologies provide a node for seamless integration with a larger, global wireless network that revolutionizes communications, interoperability, and information sharing.

Check back frequentlty to the Enercient website, and watch for opportunities to invest, network with us, partner with our company and help us bring this exciting product to market.

a little late but...

So I took this picture back in August, and put it on Evernote, but I just got around to actually doing anything with it. I just thought it was a little eerie up on the roof of a local mega-mall. I think I'll call it "rooftop unit wasteland"

Make a Stand

So its been over a year since I took that blacksmithing class, but I bought a cheap 55 lb anvil last week, and I though I would work on getting my back yard foundry together.

So today, rather than watch the Redskins lose- I decided I'd work on my backyard foundry. I thought about going up to HD and buying a pressure treated 8x8, but I remembered I had a bunch of lumber left over from my trash bin project.

I measured to where my arm would feel comfortable (at the bottom of my swing) and cut a bunch of scrap 25 1/2 long, and just started nailing it together. Maybe I'll wrap it with some steel straps later to add a little strength- but i has a little heft to it, and seems to be doing a good job.



It stands pretty firm, but I think I might get some sand to put under it anyway. Now I can begin working on my foundry.

new glossary search engine

I stumbled upon a new search engine, called MetaGlossary, and I think its going to be a good one. Although it is in beta, it has a plugin for the Firefox search bar, and actually returns some pretty good definitions.

I tried searching "firefox" and returned the following. http://www.metaglossary.com/results/?query=firefox Searching "soccer mom returned http://www.metaglossary.com/results/?query=soccer+mom

There isn't much info about the site on the site, but an Alexa search reveals that it is owned by a company in New York.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Amazon MP3 Downloader for Linux

Amazon has packaged their download software for Linux. I think this is pretty cool, because it is DRM Free mp3 format music, so you can play it on anything. Linux users can now use the download tool legitimately!

Download the tool, download the player. Support DRM Free Music.

Free Software Day

I'm a member of the Ubuntu Maryland Local Community Team. I'm relatively new to Ubuntu, but I recently bought a laptop from Dell that came preloaded with Ubuntu, and I'm actually learning to get around quite well- downloading packages, configuring software,and yes- even occasionally getting into a little command line.
Anyway, Software Freedom Day is on September 20, and we've got the meeting room booked at Howard County Library- Miller Road.
Come on out and find out more about Ubuntu Linux!

Learn Something online

Several schools and institutions are putting their classes and lectures online for free, and you can podcast, stream, and download the course informmation. Although I haven't spent as much time as I would like podcasting, I have taken a few opportunities to learn something new. You don't get credit for the classes, but its free and its knowledge- and I happen to think that the knowledge is the most important part anyway.
UC Berkeley Biology, Chemistry, Business courses and many others are available on the site to download, and if you feel so inclined- donate money.
MIT Opencourseware MIT has an extensive amount of their courses online, and is one of the institutions that has been doing it the longest. I'm a little partial to their Mechanical Engineering section, myself.
Stanford University is on itunes, I downloaded a business management class and listened to in on the way back and forth to work.
Carnegie Mellon has some free online coursework, I haven't used it yet but I've been wanting to check it out.
TED gets an honorable mention here, because although it isn't a college, it is a great place to listen to some of our brightest minds talk about things that are relevant and important today.

This is web 2.0 getting it right

Does anyone else think its funny that youtube has been in the news so much lately with copyright issues, but somehow I can still do this:


I just think its time that we figured out how to update our thinking a little bit.

a visual guide to social media

I couldn't have said it better myself!

the internets helped me fix my lawnmower

My lawnmower took a crap a few weeks ago and I couldn't get it to start. I'm no engine mechanic, but I know a few things about combustion, and I used to fix my lawnmower when I was a kid- how much could have changed?

Well, the first thing was that the model number has rubbed off of the mower over the years, and I have no idea where the manuals are. So I went on the internets and used that google thingie to find the Murray website. Here's where it gets fun. Briggs& Stratton (who makes the engine) bought the brand, and you can't look up parts breakdowns or manuals without having the MODEL NUMBER!

So I had to get creative with the searches, and fiddle with the mower a bit.
A secret about internal combustion engines (or a log campfire for that matter) need three things to work right. They need air, fuel, and a source of ignition. There are other things that can go wrong, but chances are if your lawnmower isn't working, starting here is a big thing.
I changed the spark plug because the one in there looked pretty foul, I checked the air filter and replaced it, and tried to fire it up. Nothing. So I did a trick I learned somewhere and I soaked the air filter in gas, pulled the rope and WHA! I got it to start, so i had a diagnosis. No fuel. (I also managed to half-ass cutting the grass this way as well)

It turns out that a 4.5 hp Briggs and Stratton from 2004 is a pretty common motor and it also turns out that a clogged carb is a common problem as well for this motor. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_a_Briggs_and_Stratton_4.5_HP_lawn_mower_engine_stop_one_minute_after_it_starts

So I went to the Ebay, and bought a new carb.

I got the carb in the mail yesterday, put it in, and after a little priming, the mower fired right up! So i just want to say, thank you Wiki Answers, Thank you to the Google, and to the Ebay, and to the internets for helping me fix my lawnmower!

Townhouse for sale in Columbia, Maryland!

We have a lovely townhouse for sale in Columbia, Maryland. This is a great starter home in a convenient location.

Here's the listing information:

Adorable end unit set in established neighborhood located in a quiet, no-outlet street that backs up to woods.Three finished levels. Freshly painted and some new carpet. New stainless steel appliances and tile Kitchen floor.Lower Level with large Family Rm.leading to Privacy fencd back yard including storage shed.Fiber Optic Verizon Fios. No CPRA $5,000 closing help to buyer WFPO!

If you have any questions, or are interested in seeing the house, contact me and I'll be happy to accomodate you!

twits, blogs, plurks, and 2.0

I have been playing in the web 2.0 world- plurking, twitting, posting, etc. Joining various social networks, trying to stay up with the times. The funny thing I realized after spending a bunch of time on plurk last night- that web 2.0 reminded me of something, and it took me a while to come to it.

Web 2.0 reminds me of AOL 2.0. Sitting there waiting for the chats to update. talking to people, joining the new exciting online community! Yes, there were corporate sites, and yes web pages were static- but if you wanted to be where the action was, you stayed up on all the latest "keywords."

I was a johntindale come lately to AOL. My friends all got part-time jobs as telemarketers for AOL when it first started, and they all got free lifetime AOL accounts with 800# dial-up access. I got a regular package, upgraded it to unlimited for $19.95/ mo, http://web.archive.org/web/19961220154856/http://www.aol.com/and signed up for DSL years later when it became available.

I don't want to be a pundit or a curmudgeon, but it seems that we are getting pretty excited about intefaces and communities that have already been done? Oh well, what goes around comes around. Pardon me, I can feel my karma dropping even as I finish typing this sentence.

Wanna join my buddy list? Now If we could only get our computers to say "you've got plurks/twits" when we sign in.

nah nah nah nah hey hey goodbye

I bet she finds a way to keep her joker face on TV for another few months. I remember the days years ago when I was working on a major remodel of a residence on capital hill. In 1991-92, many republicans were moving out of town after llving there over 10 years. They were moving out with their blue blazers and red ties, and the brown blazers and jeans were moving in. The striking thing I remember was that they were moving out gracefully. They were admitting defeat, packing up their personal belongings, and going home to their home states.
The thing that really bothers me is that these people just won't go away. They won't move on. They are still wearing their hippy beads, their clogs, and the flowers in their hair, and they WON'T go away! Despite the fact that Hillary looks like she's been an unfortunate victim of this guy...






















just go away. admit defeat. buy a nioe home in Arkansas and leave us all alone. buh-bye, hasta la vista, adios, have a nice life. We don't care what you want. Just GO AWAY! We broke up with you. Its over. We've moved on...

futurist

When I close my eyes and picture the future, this is what I see.

JPL/ Nasa Mars Lander

NASA with the assistance of JPL has landed another lander on Mars. The main mission is to look for frozen water over the next three months.

here's the main page: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Townhome for sale in Columbia, Maryland!

John and Melanie are growing out of their house! Check out this great townhome in an established neighborhood in Columbia, Maryland. Townhome for Sale in Columbia, Maryland. MLS#: HW6770203 Or stop by and check it out for yourself at 9529 Quarry Bridge Court, Columbia, MD 21046.

Maintenance Mastery

I'm creating a new site called Maintenance Mastery, http://maintenancemastery.wordpress.com Where I'll be sharing tips, tricks, and tools for maintenance technicians.

I'm hoping that I've done it right this time, and I've put down a bunch of stuff down in a moleskine so that I have material in advance. I'll get a few posts up, and then I'll start promoting the heck out of it.

I've started out in wordpress- and if it takes off, I'll dot-com it.

technorati

I have joined the ranks of the technorati. Now I can check to see just how irrelevant my rants are, and how many people aren't reading me!!

release the spiders...
Technorati Profile

Seeing the future

I want to be an engineerpoetphilosopherfuturist. I know how to do the first three things, but what does it take to become a futurist? Can you be optimistic about the advance of tech, but pessimistic about what we'll do with it?

futurist dot com has a list of core beliefs that I find fascinating. I agree with most of it, so does that make me a futurist? Maybe I have to join first.

I saw Iron man this past weekend, and it got me thinking (again). Why we don't have hovercars and jet packs yet? We have all this amazing communications crapola- but what I consider the REAL future- the cool applicable stuff hasn't really arrived yet.

We still get in our "cars" powered by 100 year old technology, and drive them on our "roads" paved with a sumbstance we started using over 10k years ago to our post WW2 era inspired "jobs" where we all pretty much do normal run-of-the-mill outmoded outdated kinds of stuff.

I realize that progress is measured in micro-improvements most of the time, but sometimes I'd really like to just jump on my skybike and go take a ride an orbit tether to a space station and go for a two week vacation on the moon like they promised me I would be doing by the year 2000 when I was in elementary school.

If thinking that modern engineering and tech isn't moving fast enough makes me a futurist, then count me in.

Technology

I still wonder sometimes if technology is really making our lives better, or if it is just more clutter to keep us from doing REAL things? I mean as long as we are answering emails, checking messages, reading web articles, etc. we're FEELING productive...
I just want to know when the tech is going to catch up. I mean when is it going to become an enhancement of the quality of life, and not a supplement?
For instance I have discovered that I really like listening to podcasts in the car on the way to work- because I get to tune in during a time when I am normally tuned out. This is one rare instance of the tech being an enhancement.
However, this morning i am going to open outlook, see a bunch of emails to which I need to respond, and I'll look up and discover that my morning is shot. Even after reading GTD and reorganizing my office- I just get the feeling that there's got to be a better way.
Anyone? Any one? Bueller?

I'm sorry, but its hot sauce

Can we all stop saying (or stop trying to say) chipotle? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but we have been eating chipotle chilis for years. We as Americans are being duped into believing that we are consuming an ancient Aztec recipe.

Its nothing new. Its chile peppers. I have some in my kitchen. If you want to get technical, a chipotle is a smoked chile pepper. I have some of these in my kitchen as well- and I have news for you. They are not chipotle. They are friggin smoked chile peppers. We already have a mediocre restaurant named after chile peppers, its called friggin "Chilis."

Do not be duped. Do not be drawn in by the hard to pronounce name, whether you say "chee-PO- tull, or chuh-pot-LAY, or chee-PO-tuh-lay, or even chu-PO-tull, cha-pole-TEE, all of these are inaccurate. They are smoked chile peppers. If it is "chipotle sauce" it is smoked chili pepper sauce. This is just another advertising gimmick to get you to buy crummy food made to taste better with HOT SAUCE.

try it- google "dried chile" http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=com.ubuntu%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=dried+chile&btnG=Search+Images

and then google "chipotle"
http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=com.ubuntu%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=chipotle&btnG=Search+Images

after you scroll down past the corporate logos of the evil restaurateur, you will see the same thing from the first search. That's right...wait for it...DRIED CHILES.

So here's what I propose. We form the ANTI-CHIPOTLE league,that commits to one of the following.

1. Boycott any restaurant that uses the name, sells any sauce called "chipotle" or makes any representation whatsoever that "chipotle" is sold anywhere in the establishment.
2. Go to the restaurants, but do not purchase any of the products that supposedly use any form of chipotle or any form of chipotle sauce.
3. Go on buying your crummy "mild mayo infused semi-hot sauce" but refuse to call it "chipotle" you may call it hot sauce, or smoked pepper sauce- but REFUSE TO SAY "CHIPOTLE."

Join me people. Join the anti-chipotle league.

My network at home

I should probably explain a few things about the systems that we run at our house before I start keeping score between ubuntu and windows.

We have:

Verizon Fios
1 Dell Dimension E510 running Vista Ultimate SP1- recently set up to be print/ backup/ media server.
2. A HP Pavilion 514n running xp sp2, that I think I'm going to erase and laod Ubuntu when gutsy gibbon releases.
3. A Dell laptop running Vista Home upstairs that my wife uses-
4. My favorite~ An old beater Dell laptop running Xubuntu which I use for email, browsing, etc
5. My work Dell laptop that I need to be able to print from, etc. when I bring it home~ I should also mention that I don't have admin rights on this one.

So, anyway- just keep all that in mind when you hear me keeping score between Ubuntu and Vista. One of the big factors for me is cost, and since I got all this eval software from Heroes Happen Here, I was able to briefly eliminate cost as a factor for my most recent problems.

Score one for Microsoft

Just to update, in my last blog I complained about windows home server, and I mentioned that I loaded xubuntu in an effort to create a file/backup/print server on my network at home.

Well, it turns out that Samba wasn't happy with my peer network either, and when we tried to print an xl spreadsheet from my wife's Vista machine through the linux hp drivers, it printed it ok- except it was printing a 3x5" copy when it was supposed to be printing on 8 1/2" by 11 paper.

I like playing with new tech, and I have spent my share of nights and weekends "effing" with something trying to make it work, when I could have just done something easier- so I took the copy of Vista SP1 i got at Heroes Happen Here, and loaded it on the machine.

I hate to admit it, but it was all pretty seamless. It found my wife's vista machine, it found the xbox, and right now it is happily sharing all my media files across the network. I can even browse the whole peer network thru Samba from my xubuntu laptop.

in addition, I signed up for a year of Windows Live Services for $50, and its good for 3 machines, which is perfect because that just happens to be the number of Windows machines I have in the house.

As i said before, I like to play with tech, and try very hard sometimes to make things work. Although its not "technically" a server at this point- its doing the three things I set out to have it do, and as a bonus i get virus and firewall protection at a very reasonable price.

I like to stay up on the latest and greatest, but sometimes my wife just needs to be able to print out a legible spreadsheet. Thanks, Microsoft- you really did make me a hero.

(I did have the forethought to partition the drive, Hardy heron IS in beta...)

Xubuntu Linux 2- Microsoft 0

Ok, so my relationship with Xubuntu started when I took an old beater laptop (that wouldn't run Win2k any more) and loaded xubuntu on it. Needless to say, that even though it was a little slow, it ran beautifully. Email, web, blogging and twittering (you know the important stuff)

So fast forward to this past weekend when I tried to load up my "free evaluation" of windows home server on my 2 yr old Dell E510. I loaded up the software, and the first problem was that it didn't have the drivers for my internal network card, so I had to burn the drivers on a disk on another computer and load them on the machine (no big deal- it happens)

So then I was dissapointed with the user interface that pops up when you run home server. You would think that since its for home use, all of the good stuff would be simplified. sharing, backup, etc. you know- the good stuff.

Not so, the biggest feature that it offered was a backup utility, which would have been cool- but here's the kicker. WHS has a little interface that you use to set up your network. You plug in a little info, sign in (or sign up) to a .net passport account, and its supposed to set up a domain server for you automatically.

The problem I had was that Verizon Fios blocks port 80- which I openly admit isn't Microsoft's fault. However, the part that sucked, rather than skip that step, and move on and set up everything else, WHS quits and tells you that it can't configure your router, and that you need to do everything manually, and it turns out that the manual setup console is basically the server console that started with NT.

So, I'm going through all the iterations of setting up the DNS, the IP address, and all the other crap thinking "What about all the poor saps that are going to buy WHS thiking its going to be a beefed up version of Vista?"

So anyway, I finally get the thing to connect to my network, and start setting up files, backups, etc. and find out that its conflicting with my peer network, and its messing up- get this, because this is the best part, its messing up the open ports on my XBOX. It sees the open connection that the XBOX has and sees it as a threat, even though the router is handling the firewall, and starts hosing the connection.

It was at this point, I turned the machine off, and installed Xubuntu. It found and loaded the drivers for the network card automatically without any help from me. I next loaded SMBK and proceeded to share the printers, the backup drive, and the video and music folders on my external hard drive.

The only two things I had to load were the drivers for my video card (it worked without them) and flash for the browser. It is "serving" two printers (which it found and loaded without my help by the way) music, and videos, and runs the backup for the 5 machines I have on the network.

So, I screwed with WHS all weekend, and couldnt get it to work, and got everything set with Xubuntu last night in about 2 hours.

Religion

I have a weakness for religious topics. I can't help it. I grew up in church, I spent 7 years in a private Christian School, and I spent the 90's volunteering for a national youth ministry while working for a church. I like to talk about church. How to do church; contemporary, orthodox, post-denominational, post-Christian.
I like to talk about theology, and find commonality with the bizarre, and find differences with the familiar. I have been around Muslims with whom I agree, and Baptists who make me want to go run and hide.
I have arrived at a brand of theology that leaves me with a feeling that I can fit in anywhere, while at the same time belonging nowhere. I believe in the idea of speaking in tongues, laying hands on the sick, and casting out demons, but I have a hard time finding anyone who has a legitimate need to do such things.
My problem lately since my foray back into church membership, is finding anyone with whom I can have these types of theological discussions. I had friends at my local pub who had no problem discussing these things- but somehow within the walls of the church, I find myself in the difficult position of having to restrain the things I say.
I wonder why that is?

Get a real human

Have you ever been frustrated with the automated phone systems at large companies? This person has posted a list of the numbers to call and extensions to call when you are trying to get a real human.

http://gethuman.com/

Let me know how it works out for ya.

Transparent and Available

I am conducting an experiment to see if I can become accessible without going crazy or getting abused. I have added Twitter to my list of websites where I can communicate with my adoring public. So here's the list.

http://www.johntindale.com/
from this site, you can email me, see what I'm up to- overall its pretty generic and I have all these grandiose schemes to one day actually make it functional.

www.myspace.com/johntindale
I'm pretty sure you know about this one

http://johntindale.spaces.live.com/
On this site its convenient for me to uplad photos because it works directly with my winmo phone. I'm having trouble getting the calendar to sync with any of my other calendars

www.facebook.com/johntindale
yet another social network

www.getamtek.com/jt
This is my profile on my company's website

www.twitter.com/johntindale
I added text messaging to the updates on twitter, and I'm going to see how often I can keep it updated

http://live.xbox.com/member/johntindale
This is my xbox gamer site. I'm not a huge gamer, but I haven't added any friends on there either yet.

My goal is to get my "web presence" as integrated as possible, so I'm going to see what gadgets and feeds that I can use as plug-ins on different sites, to make it as seamless as possible.

New Year's Declarations

Everyone hates making new year's resolutions, and it's a quick way to set yourself up for failure. So I have decided I am going to make a few non-specific, non-committal declarations about how I feel at this particular moment- so that way if I feel different tomorrow, you won't have anything to hold against me.

1. I need to sharpen my image. Although I'd much rather roll out in the morning in a pair of jeans, a flannel and a comfortable pair of boots, the truth is I am in management, and I need to start looking the way I act.

2. I need to get those last couple licenses straight. Dealing with the District of Columbia is a bit like listening to Vogon poetry, and getting something through the DC Bureaucracy is every bit as excruciating as Vogon infrastructure, I need to go ahead and bite the bullet and get that master HVAC in the district.

3. I need to "network" better. We live and die through word-of-mouth advertising, so I need to be able to get out there where the customers are. I have spent a lifetime building up a database of people I know, and it turns out that most of those people are either competitors or suppliers. Which is great if i am either
a. looking for a job or
b. buying something.
Since I am doing very liitle of either one right now, its high time I get out in the world and start being "nice" to people.

I guess that's enough stuff for now...

9-11

I know there will probably be alot of bulletins, emails, and other stuff about 9-11, but there's two things I wanted to communicate.

First, we could all use a good helping of "pissed off" about what happened six years ago. Osama Video Where among other things he says- "And before concluding, I tell you: there has been an increase in the thinkers who study events and happenings, and on the basis of their study, they have declared the approach of the collapse of the American Empire."

The other thing is, whatever your political views there are things you can do to help the soldiers who are in harms way and their families.America Supports you

No animated flags, no burning building pics, no Lee Greenwood- just watch Osama, or read the transcript- and then donate before you forget, and if you feel so moved- go ahead and forward.

Nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey hey...

GOODBYE!
I remember doing that song at sporting events when someone would get ejected from the game. It looks like it might be a fitting song to be revived now that the Dog abuser Michael Vick has decided to switch his plea to "guilty."
I can't feel sorry for this guy in the least. He's got all that money, and the only thing he can think of to do on a daily basis is torture animals? I'm not a big animal rights activist- and I'm not going to harp on how cruel dog fighting is- I'm going to try to stick to the topic.


Vick signed a six- year $62 million dollar contract on May 9, 2001. That works out to over $10 million a year, and over $600 thousand a week. So what does a man do who has everything? Fight Dogs.
If I ever get to the point where I have done everything, and the only thing left is DOG FIGHTING just shoot me. I mean, the morning I wake up- and I realize that I have done everything BESIDES watching pit bulls repeatedly rape a female dog- I want you to come to my house and literally blow my head off.

• What's so wrong about naked midget chick wrestling? http://www.cafepress.com/prideinart/406415
• Or car chucking http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/02/car_tossing_robot.html.
• He didn't have any fascination with going to space?http://www.virgingalactic.com/flash.html
• Or buying real estate on the moon?http://www.moonshop.com/.
  You mean to tell me that he didn't want to buy a tattoo on this guy's back? http://www.stunning-stuff.com/read-weird-news-stories/134.html?ci=l
• So, he's already completed his fossilized mud collection?
  http://files.tellmewhereonearth.com/Photos%20Weirdest/w184a.JPG
• He never got the urge to go buy- er I mean "adopt" one of these kids?http://peanutbutterburrito.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/darfur_kids.jpg

I know I can't judge the man until I've walked a mile in his Nike Michael Vick Shoes, http://www.pickyourshoes.com/images/shoes/listing/zoom_vick_wht_blk.jpg but I just think, that with a little creativity, and a little time Michael Vick could have thought of something better to do with the $577/ hour he's been making for the last five years (counting spring training and practice)

Mr. Vick, backatcha

Blacksmithing

I took a class with my dad this past weekend in blacksmithing, and it turned out to be quite the experience. Working with my hands again and learning something new was a very rewarding, sometimes challenging, but mostly fun experience.

It all started a few months back, when I was looking online at the curruculum at Howard Community College. I try to learn new things when I can, and I always enjoy the opportunity to increase the old knowledge base. There was a myriad of options for classes I could take-

1. business management type classes to help me climb the corporate ladder

2. engineering-related classes to help me one day legitimize my position, and trade level

3. requirement (filler) classes to inch me toward that ever-elusive degree.

It all seemed pretty 'ho-hum' the more I looked at it.

So I started doing the usual google searches for odd terms "trade schools" and "course study" and somehow stumbled upon the Carroll County Farm museum. They offer summer classes in old-school trades, and I saw the blacksmithing class and I knew I had to do it.

To add to the fun, Wayne recently moved up here from Florida, so I asked him (sort 0f at the last minute) if he wanted to take the class with me. So sure enough, he said yes, and we signed up. (For those of you who don't know me, I use "Wayne" and "Dad" interchangeably. It goes back to the days when I was 17 yrs old, and out on a jobsite with Dad, and too dumb and too proud to admit that I was working with my old man. You know I wanted to be my own man)

I had no idea what to expect. Would it be a bunch of time spent sitting in a classroom studying the history of metal work? would we have to start at the bronze age, go over the iron, and then at the end of the second day watch the guy make a fireplace poker?

To my surprise, after a short safety talk, and a brief introduction, each member of the class took positions forge-side, and before i knew it I had a 2 lb hammer in my hand and I was pounding on hot molten steel! Wayne and I are no strangers to a torch, and Dad has spent alot more time welding than I have, but surprisingly enough, we found ourselves joking around, giving the instructor a hard time, and learning (and I quote the syllabus directly)

"...the basics of blacksmithing from forge and fire control to hammer control. You will learn to forge a fish tail scroll, pig tail scroll, tab hook, drive hook, forge poker, water can handle, and other student selected projects as time permits."

Our instructors, Ray Neubauer, and Bob Nagle were great instructors, and through demonstration, hands-on instruction, and the occasional "corrective procedure" really helped us all feel like blacksmithing was something we could spend more time doing.

You can bet that when November comes around and its time for the intermediate class, I'll be signed up for what I know will be another great weekend. I'm also thinking about joining the guild but now the big question- where can i get my hands on one of those anvils?

I also got to spend a little time with Wayne- although I called him "Dad" most of the weekend, because the old pride just ain't what it used to be, and one of the guys thought we were brothers when we walked up- and I just couldn't have that!

Bart's Junk

We went to see the new Simpson's movie this weekend, and I have to admit it was a little wierd sitting in a large dark room with 250 other people watching the Simpsons. There were the usual gags, a few funny surprising moments, and a few genuine laughs- but the biggest thing was a dare between Homer and Bart where Homer dared Bart to skateboard naked to the Krusty Burger and back.

Bart's crusing down the street nude and a more than a few conveniently placed items cover little Bart, and then Bam! Bart's junk! Little Bart flashed on the screen for everyone to see. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was just a little surprising- given that the male member is usually taboo in even R rated movies.

Aside from the Bart "member shot" it felt like a long episode of the Simpsons. I mean these characters have been in our lives for over 17 years! This show lasted longer than my first marriage for cryin' out loud. Standing in line and paying to see the Simpsons is kinda like going to the zoo to see your own pets in cages.

Its not that I didn't like it. I'm a Simpsons devotee- I've been watching the Simpson family not grow up or get any older since they were a short at the end of the Tracy Ullman Show. Its just that the movie didn't feel like a movie.

There was a few slow moments where I thought a remote would be handy- you know, not really "change the channel" just see what else is on for a second. The Simpsons at this point are like ambient TV. Its whats on when there's nothing on. Its what you have on BEFORE Prime time. There's much to be said about the "staying power" of the Simpsons, about its permanent place in American culture, and its enduring charm- but if you wanna pay to see the Simpsons, come to my house around 7pm every evening. For $40 I'll give you all the popcorn you can eat, a big soda, and even let you hold the remote.

under my umbah- rella ella ella eh eh oh eh eh

Has anyone else noticed that Rihanna's song has massive issues in the rhyming category?

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

I'm sorry- but forever doesn't qualify as rhyming with ever, because you can't use a word to rhyme if its the same as the suffix- and then other and umbrella just do not work at all. It doesn't even work in ebonics.

I did, however realize that it works in hillbilly, because in certain parts of the south an umbrella is commonly referred to as an umbreller. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work very well for the genre-So I made new lyrics that actually rhyme with umbrella:

When the sun shines, it shines through windows made by pella
Told you that sammich was poisoned with salmonella
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'm going to stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining on my friend named Ella
Know that I'll feature you in my next novella
You can stand under my umbrella

I thought about adding
"I'm glad there's loud accompaniment because I can't sing a capella"
but I thought that might be too mean.

Hey Rihanna- it's called Rhymezone.com. Look into it.

Oh yeah- I almost forgot, Umbrella has three syllables. I hate this friggin song.

GOHOA Problems

My HoA has become a problem recently.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS

I have a company vehicle that hardly qualifies as a commercial vehicle. It is a Ford Explorer Sport Trac (have you seen this thing?) Basically its a tiny little truck in which Barbie wouldn't be caught dead. I mean this "truck" (and I use the term loosly) is about as far from "commercial" as you can get!

Anyway- I got a letter a couple months ago that the vehicle, being the GIANT COMMERCIAL vehicle that it is, was in violation of HoA rules, and that I could not park it in the community. So I quit parking it in front of my house, and began parking it up the street.

I also contacted the Community Mamangement Association, and asked them if I could simply get magnets to cover the company logos on the vehicle- the person I talked to at this time said that would be fine. So- I put in a requisition at work for some blank magnets, which had to be approved by my boss, etc. and are finally on order.

Well- to my surprise I got home today, and the truck was gone. So- you guessed it, the truck was towed. Isn't this a little extreme? Do we need a ban on commercial vehicles anyway?

So its not just the truck- its the constant letters telling me to pressure wash my friggin siding, and cut the grass in my FENCED-IN BACK yard. I even had a line-item to replace a missing piece of siding on the back of my house (there isn't any siding missing on the back of my house)

So I got to thinking- I work in HVAC, I know HoA's, Why don't we get a board that actually does useful things. Why don't we do things that we as a community actually want? Why not campaign to create a board that actually provides helpful and useful information to my neighbors? Why not find out what my neighbors really care about like-
1. SAFETY-
a. walkways and sidewalks are in various stages of disrepair and there is poor lighting at night.
b. the dry pond at the end of my street should have a cover over the water pipe inlet- some kid or pet could crawl in there and get hurt.
c. my truck (mentioned above) was broken into over the winter and a laptop and blackberry was stolen sometime in the middle of the night
2. ACCOUNTABILITY- The State of Maryland and Howard County require that financial and meeting records be available to Homeowners.
3. WASTE DISPOSAL
a. why can't we come up with a better way to manage waste disposal? Do you like having to wait until after dark on Thursday to take out the trash?
b. recycling (see point a)
We have rights as homeowners, and I'm really not looking for a fight- I just want to see some "reasonableness" come to our community and for once see some common sense reign in our community.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS

Iraq and a Hard Place

Didn't it used to mean that when you defeated a nations army, took its capital city, and killed its ruler that you won the war? What ever happened to the days when you defeated a nation's army you defeated the nation?

Now these piece of crap little countries have a few cowardly hold-outs attacking under the cover of subterfuge and terrorism and they act like they won. It reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail. Insisting that the fact that he has no legs is merely a flesh wound...


So I have a three point plan for winning the War in Iraq.

1. We wake up tomorrow and just say we won. We won. Let's decorate Washington, hang the banners, and shoot off the fireworks and bring the boys home as heroes. The only thing is- in order to get what they want- The Democrats in Congress have to say with the rest of us that we won. We won. No detractors, no pundits, no opposing viewpoint- we want out, so we with one united voice we say "WE WON"

2. We forget about the Iraqi people's human rights for the next ten-twenty years. Who cares if their economy doesn't recover. Who cares if their people don't have roads and infrastrure. Who cares if rogue armies run around blowing up their own crap. Whenever some self-appointed Shia rises up, we fly over and bomb the crap out of him. The only trick is that all the liberals who are crying now about bringing the troops home, don't get to go over there in those stupid khaki vests talking about how crummy it is over there, and what a mess we left the place in.

3. We refuse to broadcast whatever towel-head shows up claiming we didn't win all over our media outlets, and for once the media machine in the US works AGAINST our enemies, and we say WE WON. I mean who's gonna argue with us? The French? We're the friggin world power. If we want to go defeat a foriegn army, kill it's totalitarian dictator, and run Old Glory up the flagpole and declare victory, its our perogative. We're THE friggin world power. Lets start acting like it. If America wants to say that we won the war in Iraq- then we won the war in Iraq. End of story.

I personally think that the boys over there did a damn good job. I don't happen to think that policing crappy urban environments is what they signed up for- and none of us wanted a long, protracted crappy occupation with a bunch of idiots with roadside bombs getting a kick out of blowing up hummers full of GIs.

So lets just say we won. Declare victory, bring the boy's home to a heroes' welcome- and that's it.

The only strategy that the enemy has is victory by attrition. If we pull our boy's out of there, and drop a nuclear bomb that turns that place into a (well...desert) some AK-47 toting mutant arab is going to climb out of a cave and declare victory over the infidels- and you can bet your ass that CNN will be right there to film the big American defeat.

The other option is to do as George Sr. said one time and "stay the course" We can tighten security in Iraq, send more troops give more funding, and crack down on those towel headed ingrates, forcing democracy and freedom on them whether they want it or not.







Any questions?

Paris Hilton Autopsy Sculpture

And now for the OMG WTF category...

Apparently the sculptor that made the thing last year of Brittney Spears giving birth on a bear-skin rug is at it again with another whacko sculpture.

Paris Hilton has allowed her visage to be used for a sculpture depicting her dead, splayed body ready to be autopsied. Apparently its a hands-on exhibit where students are allowed to open her up and remove parts. Its meant to scare teens away from drinking and driving during prom season.

I think the thing that makes it so wierd is that I've never seen an autopsy (on TV or otherwise) that features the DD with her legs spread like that! I mean the tiara and the puppy are one thing, but why not have her laying the way a body would prior to an actual autopsy.

Oh well, I took art classes for a short time in college- sometimes art is just wierd, and bizarre for the shock value and publicity factor. I have one question. Doesn the artist get to sculpt the figures from live poses? If that were the case that's probably how I'd pose her too- but I seriously doubt it.

Oh well- Paris is one of my close, personal friend on Myspace (I really do believe it), and I fully expect to hear from her about this in the next couple days. You can check it out for yourself at parishiltonautopsy dot com

ONEbyONE

Join the One Campiagn- or at least donate some cash

Clerks 2- and a guide to thirtysomething 2.0 humor

Sunday before going to see Clerks 2, I read about how Joel Siegel walked out of the movie after about 40 minutes. I wondered what could have been so terrible about the movie that a reviewer (the guy gets paid to watch movies and write about them for a living.) would feel the need to walk out?

Then, while Mel and I were sitting there in stitches, laughing 'til Mel was crying and I was having trouble breathing- we noticed two sets of people get up and leave the movie! Was it the racism jokes? Was it the donkey? Maybe the cracks on organized religion?

Are we just so terribly jaded that nothing shocks or disgusts us any more? Have I become so de-sensitized that maybe there's something wrong with me? I don't think so. I think that I just have a sense of humor.

I think its because of the same old thing. The group of people who are my age are constantly misunderstood. Thats right, good ol' gen-x is at it again. Its OK for Tom Hanks to have a donkey sex scene in one of his movies, and everyone loves him- but Kevin Smith does it, and somehow its too much?

I'm not sure- but I have a theory.

I think its because "we" weren't meant to fit in. We're too young to have gone to Vietnam- but we watched a bunch of movies about it in the 80's. Some of us went to Gulf War 1.0, or Somalia.(not "real" wars in the popular media) We were in the spotlight for a few moments in the 90's, and then Columbine happened. Then, suddenly teenagers became the focus. Wedged in between Baby boomers and the next younger generation, "we" became a side-note once again.

"Our" music was alternative, which had its 5 minutes of fame and then blended into obscurity. At one time we owned Lilith Fair and HFs and Lollapalooza, and Starbucks...all of which have either been co-opted by the older and younger crowds or have gone the way of the dodo.

If you're my age, you can probably relate to being in a crowd of people older (or younger) making jokes, everyone's popping them off- and then your turn comes and you say "in my butt" for your little add-on to the joke-fest, and everyone stops laughing and says "eww, thats just kinda gross." Thats kinda what its like- they don't get us, and they never will.

The inside joke. That's the beauty and the subtlety of the whole thing. that's why Dante and Randal can be such losers, and still manage to have the ability to make fun of everyone else- because no one else gets the joke. The opposite of being around a bunch of people who don't get you, is to be in a small click of people who do get you, and to have one person that doesn't. Oh what heavenly bliss!

Ever been in a situation where everyone has seen a movie but you? Or everyone in your group listened to a radio show that you missed? The really cool thing that happens is when a click gets a hold of a particular movie and then really runs with the lines from the movie. The most common (and obvious) example, would be a group of 30 something 2.0s in a car looking for a parking place, and then one of them says "use the force, luke" Everyone in the group knows that

1. this is a reference to the 1977 film Star Wars
2. the driver is having difficulty finding a parking spot
3. the general consensus of everyone in the car is that the driver has not tried hard enough to find an available parking spot.

Its the art of the inside joke.
1. take a popular (or obscure) movie, television, or song reference
2. use the quote in a situation that loosly applies to said reference
3. share the common understanding that the quote or reference applies to this situation
4. laugh
5. don't get offended or pissed off if you a. didn't see the movie, tv show, or hear the song, or b. saw the movie, show, or heard the song and still don't get the joke or the reason why the reference is funny.

Anyway- Clerks 2 is funny, and I don't care what anyone older (or younger) says about it. I'll just be home in front of the mirror- smearing on lipstick, listening to q. lazarus doing the tuck.

New Job and Master License

After the debacle at Unitemp/ Chesapeake HVAC- I managed to rise from the ashes once again and will start working for Amtek in Lanham, Maryland on August 1. Its funny, getting a job with a company owned by a local utility would seem like a lifetime commitment. Benefits, Retirement, security, stability...blah friggin blah!

I recently had a discussion with a slightly older gentleman who has basically had three jobs in his entire 30+ year career, where I have had three jobs in the last four years. How do you tell a guy like that- Its not my fault! Is it my fault when the owner has a heart attack and decides to get outta the business? Is it my fault when the parent company decides to close down my division?

Some of these old-school guys have a stay with the job mentality, but I'm starting to wonder if those old-school JOBS are a thing of the past...Maybe this next job will be THE ONE...

On another note, I got my MASTER LICENSE in the mail the other day! Woo-hoo, baby! (me doing a touchdown style end zone celebration)

that baby was 6 yrs in the making. I blogged about taking the test a while back, but I passed it and now Ive got that baby in my hot little hands...I can pull permits to replace/ install HVAC systems in the state of Maryland. Woo-hoo!!! Now all I gotta do is take a test in DC and fill out the forms in Virginia, contact a dozen or so counties and cities...

Three New Things for "Generation X." Remember how in 1993 it was all the rage to talk about the coffee swilling Mcjobs generation? Im not really sure how you slice and dice it, or where you draw the lines but if you're anywhere close to my age, here's three new media pieces for you:

1. http://www.jpod.info/ This is the new book by Douglas Coupland centered around a pessimistic dissilusioned group of people who work for a video game development company. Through a glitch in the personnel computers, they all have the same first letter of their last name and wind up in the same workgroup- thus the title "Jpod"

2. http://www.clerks2.com/ Even though after Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back Kevin Smith said he was done with the Jay and Silent Bob movies, the boys are back with a sequel to the movie that started it all. I guess Jersey Girl changed his mind!

3. http://wip.warnerbros.com/ascannerdarkly/ This movie, based on a Philip K. Dick Novel is about a futuristic society in which drugs, paranoia, and government testing blur the lines between reality and multiple personality. An interesting piece of this film is that it uses interpolated rotoscoping, to make Robert Downey Jr, Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder blur the lines between reality and cartoon.