JB was here - Oh look a chicken!

www.milldogrescue.org

2009-03-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend my wife and I took the kids down to volunteer at a place that rescue's dogs from "puppy mills". I didn't really know what a puppy mill was until just recently. I have to admit I have been guilty of buying dogs from a pet shop in my life. I going to assume that everyone is as ignorant as I was about this.

A little background.

99% of dogs in a pet store come from a puppy mill. Puppy Mills are places where dogs are bred for their breed in small cages. Some dogs never see the outside or even understand what is like to be outside. They just have litter after litter of puppies so that their owners can sell them. Usually they stacked in cages one on top of another . If they bark too much its not uncommon for a mill owner to find away destroy the dogs vocal chords (The methods they use are too sad to even discuss).

Needless to say having this many litters isn't health for the animals. To give you some idea please click on this link (warning this is hard to look at).

My my whole family are serious dog lovers, my brother and his wife raise, show and groom dogs. My mom has many dogs who she adores. We have three dogs.. (and five acres). So its not surprising that my wife caught on to puppy mill issues. Particularly after she watched this episode of Oprah.

So as a family we traveled to a place in Colorado that rescues these dogs.

First we signed in then we met our guide toured the facility, its located way out in Peyton Colorado on what looks to be a lot of land. Plenty of room for dogs and people too!

We saw the supplies and needs to of the facility, and we met some amazing people that have devoted their lives to saving these animals.

The two golden retrievers in the pictures were from a puppy mill. Emma and Sadie are 7 years old and have had many litters.

What amazed me the most, is even with being in almost absolute captivity and not really having a much human interaction, was how starved for love these animals were. These are truly man's best friend, they just want to be near you and to be taken care of. In turn they will provide unconditional love. So for a few pounds of dog food , some water and play you get a friend for life!

I just wanted to bring this to my small circle of influence's attention.

the Website is www.milldogrescue.org check it out and see for yourself.

More music

2009-03-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

All,

My last post about Facebook was prescient. I am now a heavy facebook user and have reconnected with a lot of people. I have decided I do want to keep this blog going.

So here is the latest.. been collecting up some ideas for new music , I have also just about finished rewiring my basement studio. SO....

I hope start posting more music, in fact I am going to try to challenge myself and starting April 1st post a clip a week. So if you are reading this , I need you to hold me to it. I also want people to rate the clips.. so I am going setup a grading system.. The one's that people like I will flesh out further into a full 3 or 4 minute song.

Remember I am random and much of this will be all across the board in terms of style and sound..

So watch for new tunes..
JB

Facebook,Twitter, Linked IN where does it all end

2008-12-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

So I finally jumped in fully to the online world. I have a facebook account, a Linked in account, Twitter, and my Blog.. now all I need is my online store and I will be ready to go. Seriously though where does this all end.. Will I still be looking at my facebook a month from now.

being the geek that I am , I needed to see all of this stuff in action. Interestingly enough, it is kind of Anti-geek by nature, since it involves "Social interaction" . I think MMORPG's like Warcraft etc were more attractive to geeks as they can be someone else.

Thoughts?

Paper Plane video

2008-10-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I was fascinated with paper planes. I tried to build giant ones from card board. I would climb trees and get on top of houses to see how far they would go.. I never lived in the city but I imagine I would've tried something like this had I had the chance!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Serial Killer or Prolific Coder

2008-09-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Found this site, I have a lot of programmers that I work with.. Wanted to test my skills.. I got 6/10 . Please let me know how you do..

Serial Killer or Computer Language inventor

Get Estimates

2008-09-20T06:31:00.001-07:00

Was watching HULU.com and came accross this great clip..

Been Away

2008-09-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted in awhile, You see I lost my father a few days after my last post, and to be honest I just haven't felt like posting since then. Mostly because I feel like I need to post something about him. He was just 58 and died working at home. It wasn't exactly sudden , he had some health problems last year and up until he was hospitalized he was a smoker.. maybe a half pack a day for almost 38 years. Anyway.. I will probably post something in his memory.. but not right now.
Many of you know from my blog that I am wanna be musician.. I had a band in the 90's that played alot and now I play at church (much more fulfilling). This year at the symitar conference I decided to pull a group of musicians together and see if we could have some fun. We had a great time and everyone was really nice to us. I almost sold my guitar to a couple of people.. :) Still trying (Symigoddess , its still for sale!)

Sneaking up on a light switch

2008-02-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

A little background. I just moved to Colorado Springs from Tampa , Florida. One thing I wasn't prepared for was the difference in humidity. Having been in Florida for the last 20 years, I took my humidity for granted! In fact I would even complain about. Shouting claims like "oh its so humid" or getting a little upset when the leather chairs in my van were sticky. Now I am being punished for taking this for granted. Because it turns out that with out humidity bad things can happen. For instance you can have the CRAP shocked out of you at any moment. Got a furry dog? Try petting it here in Colorado, I used to pet my dog randomly while I watched TV. Not any more, in fact she is skiddish because every time any one touches her both parties get quite the shock. Then there are my guitars. I need a humidor for my whole house, I have had to take EVERY ONE of my guitars in to the shop to deal with the necks being out of place because of the lack of moisture in the air. Finally there is the light switch.
Imagine this: You live your whole life not being afraid of light switches, turning them off and on at will. Reaching out whenever you feel like it and flipping a switch. Then one day the light switch fights back.. Its dark you reach to turn on the light and suddenly you see in the dark a random blue bolt of electricity followed by a sharp pain. The light is on but it had the last laugh.. So you try different things.. how about touching the wall first sliding down towards the light switch or standing on the hardwood floor and reaching out to flip the switch. NO DICE.. You still get a shock. Don't even get me started on my flat screen TV.. I am afraid to touch it.
We had some friends in town this past week and they stayed at a cool hotel where they have furry blankets. They were amazed by the cool light show they could produce by fluffing the blanket back and forth.
To conclude I am not sure how I am going to ground myself. Perhaps I need to have a ground strap or stop wearing my favorite corduroy sweat suit . We finally did get our humidifier in the house working but I doubt I can get to Florida levels. I guess I will have to work on building a resistance, perhaps randomly shocking my self or create a device that can build a static charge and work out twice a day with it. Increasing the charge until I don't notice it anymore. Also for a bit, I thought I had developed a "SUPER POWER" was planning my costume and name "ELECTROMAN" , "THE LIGHT SWITCHINATOR" until I realized that the dog had the power as well.....

Lights out!
JB

To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios

2008-01-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

I received this book for xmas. I have always been a fan of Pixar and I still remember seeing Toy Story for the first time. I remember being overwhelmed by everything I saw on the screen. More importantly I remember being wowed by the story and laughing out loud. Originally as a geek I wanted to see the movie because I wanted to see a complete movie done on a computer but I left thinking about Buzz and Woody and all the characters. Since then I have always been interested in Pixar and amazed at what they have continued to achieve.
First I thing you notice when you get the book is that it is a hardcover LARGE book. Its well worth it though because the size allows them to have incredible pictures from the movies as well as cool pictures of the actors that do the voices. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Ellen DeGeneres all appear in the book.
The most important message of the book is that someone can have a dream and follow it to fruition. Ed Catmull's dream was to do a full feature film in CG and he achieved it. They never gave up and never let anything deter them from their goal. The company went through revolutions of being a software company (renderman) and a advertising agency (remember the listerine commercials?) but they never lost sight of creating a full length feature film.
I also was very interested in the fights they had with Katzenberg about the Toy Story movie and the competition copying what they did (Antz). There is a lot about the technology and what it takes to create a movie (something like 4 seconds of film a week).
If you are interested in CG or animation I highly recommend this book. I also think if you are a business executive there is a lot to be learned here as well. The book also covers Steve Jobs steady handling of the company and his commitment as well.
There it is my first book review! I would also like to point out that I have changed the song clips on the right to some new/old stuff. Feel free to post and give me your opinions.

New Year , New look, New plan

2008-01-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

It's 2008 and I have resolved to post at least once a week for this year. I have added some cool links on the right and a new look. You'll find some song clips; I haven't really written about it but I am a music tinkerer. I like to use the combination of my computer skills and limited musical ability to make songs. I have a ton of them lying around and was wondering what to do with them so I decided to post them here.
I also added a link to a cool site called Joe's Goals (found on lifehacker) that I want to use to track my goals. We'll see how I do. I am hoping to post some more interesting stuff this year. Since no one really posts back, I figure I can do what I want! Here are my ideas for this year:

1. Book reviews - I have been reading more books lately and I want to blog what I think about them - What better place than here.
2. More of my travel posts - each and every time I travel I am going to try to eat somewhere local and do a review.
3. Movie reviews - I see alot of movies, especially with my kids. I hope to post my thoughts on them with a slight slant towards whether they are family oriented.
4. Finally, my usual Gadget reviews and concert reviews. I have two concerts coming up, Casting Crowns (a great christian band) and MatchBox Twenty.

I hope everyone has a fantastic 2008.

JB

Van Halen Staples December 14th

2007-12-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

OK here is the run down.

Our seats were awesome! They were right in the front row and no one could get stand in front of us. The opening act was really good, one if Bob Marley’s kids and did a lot of good reggae . Interesting choice for a opening act but very good. Nice warm up

On to the Show, the opened with You Really got me, and followed with “I’m the one” . Eddie was WAY better than I have seen him the last 10 years. Last time I saw him play this well was Monsters of Rock in 88 or 89.. the show was flawless and Wolfie rocked the house. Harmonies were perfect even without Michael Anthony. Wolfs definitely inherited the family talent and I am sure he will have his own band someday that will be very successful. Highlights of the night..

1. A call and return session with David Lee Roth. Dave sings something and Eddie mimics it
2. A quick very old blues song with Eddie and Dave, obviously something they had played in the old days.
a. Dave mentions that we are getting a “Van Halen” history lesson because they are in Pasadena.
3. Eddie and David face off on who can make the best drag car sound – Dave with his voice and Eddie with the his guitar , officially Eddie was declared winner but Vince and I think Dave won. IT sounded it exactly like a car. Very cool
4. The slow groove of Little Dreamer was fun .
5. Dave did a quick little intro to “Ice cream Man” and I think we got a little extra because many people in the crowd were at the back yard parties in Pasadena that he referenced. Was nice little rap but not over the top ,
6. Eddies solo (always)
7. 2 hours and 10 minutes! And that’s without the encore!
8. 1001 Flamboyant outfits and top hats by Dave! 

A few thoughts, about Wolfie and Eddie etc. At first I was a bit let down that MA wasn't invited to the party but I think it is for the best. My thinking is that with his son on the tour it is even easier to stay on his best behavior. I also think Wolfie is quality control, the product that was put on the stage at the staples center was better than anything that they have done in ten years. It was clear alot of hard work was put into the show and it showed. Also there were many touching moments with Eddie proudly showing off his son. A few times Eddie just wanted to kiss him, I could see it in Wolfies eyes "Really Dad? in front of all the fans?" but it was his love that showed through. So I guess Wolfie has saved Van Halen!

Again I remembered why I couldn’t put a guitar down until I could play Ain’t Talking about love last night!

I hate being sick

2007-12-05T04:16:00.000-08:00

Got a nice Cold.. A few questions
1. Why is it that these things sneak up on you. I was sleeping on a plane back to Denver and when I woke up I was sick. It's not that I felt perfectly fine before I fell asleep (which by the way was only for 20 minutes or so) , just that it was a drastic change when I woke up.
2. I can't sleep when I am sick.. I hate that
3. There is nothing good on TV after midnight except for re-runs of "whose line is it?"

I hate being sick (who doesn't).. I guess "it is what it is" to quote a friend of mine..
JB

The IPhone -- Friend or Foe?

2007-08-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well like many people I believe that every now and then a moment happens one that changes things. Sometimes these moments are grand and some times they are just downright scary. I think that Apples new Iphone falls into the first category. I am going to explain my experience with the Iphone and then let you decide for yourself.

The purchase - My wife actually went on line and ordered it , they estimated two weeks but it only took a week a and a few days. They attempted to ship the product to my house but I wound up going to get it from FedEx

Starting it up- Well I did run into a issue almost immediately - I tried to hook the Iphone up to my VISTA 64 bit machine running ITunes and kept getting the following message

""The software required for iPhone is not installed. Run the iTunes installer to remove iTunes, then install iTunes again."

What this means I found out is that Apple doesn't support 64 bit operating systems. So if you are trying to be cool like me and run the fastest version of Vista, no soup for you! I also like that the message is very self explanatory , it was immediately obvious to me that my Iphone had a problem with the 64 bit operating system NOT!!!!!!!!!! Good news that someone had seen this issue before me and posted about it.

So I moved on to my 32 Bit XP machine and cranked it up with out a problem. In fact it was one of the easiest Cell phone activations I have ever done. I don't remember which package I choose , just that it was a middle of the road package. I then had it sync my contacts with my Yahoo account. This was good news since I use Plaxo which allows me sync my Yahoo and my outlook. The only issue I didn't like is that the sync needed to take place while connected to my server. I don't understand why a WIFI enabled device needs to be hooked up to my PC to sync *ANYTHING*? More on this later... After this (being a veteran of gadgets) I went to bed and let it charge the prescribed amount of time while I slept.

When I woke up , I went downstairs to play with device. Here are my thoughts on of each of the features.

Phone- Phone works well. I don't like that after I dial a number I have to tap the key pad to get it back so I can dial a extension. I like the contacts feature its easy to use. I didn't have any problem finding my way around the contacts. I also found the phone itself not to be too bulky. I also was impressed with how it turned down the screen when I held it up to my ear. This is a little like the refrigerator light in that its hard to catch. The vibrate switch on the side is very handy for immediately putting the phone on vibrate or sending a call to voice mail while in a meeting.

Voice mail- This is where the unit really shines. All voice mail should work like this! You can see all the messages (no dialing in) you can listen to them in the order you want to listen. you can delete them or forward them on. Bravo to AT&T and Apple for getting this right!

Mail - Mail works well - I tested sending several messages to my Yahoo account and they were received immediately. I replied and found the on screen keyboard to be easy to use and was able to send a message very quickly. The spell check to a bit of getting used too. It displays a word it thinks you are trying to type underneath where you are typing and if you just hit space it will put it in. However my tendency is to touch the word , then it goes away. Deleting mail is fun, watching the message get sucked into the trash can is cool!

Camera- its a good camera and it does a great job of displaying pictures. I was able to easily snap a few photos then bring them up and zoom in, look around etc. Great work here as well. The zoom feature really shines here. Just taking your thumb and index finger and spreading them on the screen really does make it zoom in!

YouTube- Very cool feature , although I will say that with out the WIFI connection you need to make sure you have some time on your hands. I also find that when I am roaming I sometimes don't have connectivity and cannot watch the videos. I have seen the "History of Dance" and "Ok Let's Go- On treadmills" more than a few times. You cannot save the videos so they need to load each time. It would be nice if you could cache them for later (I think this is more of a legal issue)

Weather- EXCELLENT weather feature, perfect layout to see the weather and add cities. I have always HATED weather features on others phones that I have owned. I don't even like most weather websites. I find that they are poorly designed and make it hard to find a simple forecast. No such issue here you get current temp in big giant numbers and the forecast for the day! I find myself checking the Iphone each morning for the weather.

Safari - A full browser on a Phone (YIPPEEEE!) finally. This part of the system is absolutely amazing. I find myself using it constantly. I have demo'd my software on it, I have bought movie tickets, paid my mortgage, used it for directions, found the nearest train station and the list goes on. It needs to support flash, I am sure that will be shortly though. Its also replaced my morning CNN visits after I get logged in. I usually browse on the Iphone during breakfast and read any news there. Right after the weather of course.

Thats the main features. Here are few things I am disappointed that it doesn't do.

1. When connected to WIFI why cannot I call out via VOIP? I am sure this is coming.. but I want it now :-)
2. Why do I need to sync with my PC? I am connected via a wireless G network ? Can't I just download via that?
3. Why can't I sync my Yahoo contacts when I download my mail?
4. Where is the IPhone version of Itunes.. I want to buy content right on the phone. I don't need to connect it to my PC except for maybe firmware updates.

OK with that said, I know that APPLE will have the solutions to these problems shortly. It truly is a amazing device and will change the cell phone space forever. Now if Apple would just buy a airline :) Iplane anyone?

Travel 101

2007-07-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

In the meantime in the travel category . I am currently sitting in the Denver Airport working in a free cubicle provided by Qwest. I have been here since 2:00. I had a flight at 3:00 and it was canceled. I was then moved to stand by on the 5:30 which was moved to 6:30 and then I was bumped from that to a 9:15 flight. So what caused this delay? I asked and I was told something happened at long beach that has hosed all the flights from california (see story here) apparently someone was shipping a circuit board and it set off the TSA. They grounded everyone and of course set off this chain of events. So what do you do when you have 6 hours to kill in DIA? or any aiport for that matter? Well here are some tips.
1. Don't go through security to early. If you have just arrived and its too far to return home don't make the mistake of going through security until you have settled your travel arrangements. It is far easier to deal with changes at the ticket counter than at the gate. So don't go through until you know for sure that you have your flight plans booked. Especially if it is going to be late.

2. If you have a Cell Phone or a Laptop with internet access. Check your flight there. I have found that no one likes to give travelers bad news. So many times you will get a sugar coated version. I have even seen the arrival and depature information shown on the screen be more than a hour off of what the Web says. TRUST THE INTERNET, it is usually more accurate than what is happening at the airport.

3. If you are on Standby , immediately check in at the gate. Be nice and funny but don't be pushy. The gate people make the decisions who goes and who stays..

4. Walk - Visit every corner of the airport terminal that you are stuck in. It's good exercise, you might find a cool place to eat, you can mentally document all of the available power outlets (to power your gadgets later). Later I will do a post on power at the airport and how to find it ....

5. When you are done walking and want to chill out don't sit right at your gate.. Find one of the outlets that you documented earlier and charge your gadgets. I usually charge my phone and Ipod from my Laptop so I don't have to take up 2 or 3 outlets. If you can sit with in eyesight of your gate or a depature screen that is usually best.

6. While you are charging check your flight again on the internet- You can't check it to much.

7. If you find that your flight continues to be delayed and you suspect that it might be canceled . Act fast , First don't wait in line at the gate where the trouble is, truth is any airline rep with a terminal can help you. With a little walking you can usually find a gate person that will be willing to help you. If you don't feel like waiting in line and want to beat the rush. Break out your trusty cell phone and call the airline reservation line. Many times you can get better results. Call your favorite Hotel chain and find out if there are any hotels near by that have shuttles and book your room (you can always cancel it later).

8. Start a blog :-) which is what I did today.

So thats it, I am sure others have cool things that I haven't thought of. Road Warriors unite and give me tips!

Time to blog

2007-07-26T18:37:00.001-07:00

Ok everyone is doing it now, and I finally decided that I needed too as well. First what will this blog be about?

1. Family - Cool pictures of the incredible stuff we do!
2. Travel - I travel constantly , I have a lot of stories , tips, tricks and things to share.
3. Geek tips-- Like how download youtube videos to your Ipod, Xbox 360 tricks and other things that interest me.
4. Mobile devices- The Iphone, Ipod tricks and any other gadget that grabs my eye.

So hang in there, I will try to put together my thoughts on the Iphone for next post.