2008 October | Vegas Geek

The Vote Is in

October 30, 2008

Let me start by saying, for those of you who know me, you know I am NOT a political guy. I try not to get in to conversations about politics. The main reason being, I just don’t follow them well enough to be able to carry on a conversation about them at anything more in depth than a superficial level. With that said, read on.

Obviously since I’m writing this on the last Thursday in October, the vote isn’t over yet. It won’t be done until late on Tuesday, but my vote is officially in. For the second election in a row I went out at lunch time and headed to the outlet mall right by my office. We got there and there was absolutely ZERO line. We walked right up, showed our voter registration packets, got scanned in and we were in the polling booths in less than a minute. A few minutes after that, I was out the other side and heading to the food court with me fresh “I Voted” sticker on my chest. Total time from start to finish: roughly 5 minutes. If you miss out on the early voting, I’m pretty certain you aren’t going to be getting in and out of any polling place in under 5 minutes on Tuesday.

So, if I’m not a political guy, why do I bother going out and voting early? Well, the truth is, I think it’s VERY important that everybody gets out and votes. It sounds funny for me to say that, but it’s true. The way I see it, if you don’t go out and vote, you shouldn’t complain about the way things are being run. Period.

I myself don’t vote on very many of the races on the ballot. Again, this is because I just don’t know enough about the issue, the candidates, their policies on issues, etc. So, as a non-political guy, how do I go about choosing who I’m going to vote for when it comes to our President? A friend sent me a link to a site called glassbooth.org. It helps match you up with the candidate best suited for you based on the issues that matter to you. You are given 20 points and you spread them out across the issues and then it asks you some questions about each issue. When it finally gives you the results it will tell you the percentage of a match you are for each candidate and it provides links to news articles, video clips and other information where each candidate spoke about the issues at hand. For a guy like me who doesn’t know much about it, I found the site to be very helpful.

So if you get a chance, vote early. You only have tomorrow to do it. If you miss out on the early vote, BE SURE to get out and vote on Tuesday. It’s important and it’s worth your time.

Filed Under: Ranting Tagged With: election, vote

Movie Review: Saw V

October 25, 2008

sucked.

Filed Under: Movies, Ranting

Why do you make us wait?

October 23, 2008

Have you ever used UPS or Fed/Ex to have a package delivered? Of course you have. It’s almost impossible not to. Buy something online and 9 times out of 10 you are going to have it delivered by one of these two companies. 99% of the time your shipment is going to arrive on time, undamaged and everything is going to be peachy. I’m not even going to complain about that 1% of the time where something goes wrong. Sometimes shit is just going to hit the fan and that’s all there is to it. When that happens, I’m pretty easy going and don’t get too bent out of shape. However, there is one thing that both of these companies do that irks me to no end. If you are having something shipped to your house by one of these two companies, be prepared to wait.

Recently I purchased something online from amazon.com and due to it’s price, amazon requires that somebody be at the house to sign for the package rather than allowing the driver to leave it in a semi-safe spot on the front porch. Since I’d hate to have anything happen to my purchase, I’m totally fine with this. I made arrangements to have somebody at the house all day to accept the package when it arrived. Just after leaving for work my wife calls to tell me we received an automated call from UPS stating that our package was out for delivery and that an adult needed to be on hand to accept it. I thought it was very cool that they had the automated system make that call. Very efficient. Now, we just need to wait for it to arrive.

Lunch time came and went, still no package. I called home before leaving the office at 4:30 and still no package. I got home around 5, still not there. We started cooking dinner and at 5:45 the doorbell rings and there’s my delivery. While I’m stoked to have the package arrive and arrive safely, even though I was at work, we still had somebody sitting at the house from 8 am until 5:45 PM waiting to accept the package. That is a fairly hefty delivery window and I was certainly not pleased.

I got to thinking and came up with an idea that I thing would be pretty cool. As your item gets scanned while it’s being loaded on the final delivery truck, that should update the online tracking site with the truck number. Then, when you are looking online at your delivery status, you could see on a map the location of the truck carrying your package. It doesn’t have to be real time. Updates every 5-10 minutes would be fine. This way if you need to run a quick errand, like getting food at lunch time, you could look and see if the truck is anywhere near your house yet. If not, you know it’s safe to leave the house without worrying that you are missing your delivery.

Yes, I realize there are safety issues with letting people see where the truck is. I get it. I’m just saying, for a company that does nothing but deliver packages all day every day, you’d think they could at least give you a delivery window of 1-2 hours rather than 10 hours. It’s called good customer service. You should try it some time.

The other solution I have for this problem is to have your packages delivered to your office. This is going to be my preferred location for all deliveries from now on. Because waiting all day sucks!

Filed Under: Ranting Tagged With: fed/ex, order delivery, rant, shipping, ups

Review: Zack & Miri Make a Porno

October 22, 2008

Let me start by saying, if I had my choice, I would see EVERY movie at free preview shows. No, not because they are free (though, it’s a nice perk), but because a whole bunch of old people sign up for free movie tickets whenever they get a chance. It was funny as hell to be in line tonight with a group of old people right behind us and hearing old dude #1 say to old dude #2, “So, what’s this movie about?” And, if you read my post about seeing Choke a few weeks ago, that movie had an old lady crying after it was over.

Zack & Miri was written and directed by Kevin Smith, who has written several other movies like Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy & Dogma. I’ve been a huge fan of his (and his movies) for quite a while, so when I first heard the title of this film, I was certain we’d be seeing it opening weekend. We scored some preview passes so we didn’t even have to wait for it to hit the masses. Suck it, bitches! The past few months leading up to the release, we’ve been reading about Smith’s battles with the film ratings board trying to get an R rating for the film rather than the NC-17 rating they gave it originally. After an appeal, he got his wish.

I love the cast of Zack & Miri. Seth Rogan and Elisabeth Banks (HOLY CRAP SHE’S HOT!) are a classic pair. They work really well together and I like they way they played out their relationship. Justin Long’s character is over the top and freakin’ hilarious. Craig Robinson (Darryl from The Office) has some excellent lines in the movie as well. He’s not over the top funny, but more of a subtle humor that had me cracking up. Jason Mewes (Jay of Jay & Silent Bob) is Mother F’n Awesome. This role isn’t much different than that of Jay, and that’s just fine with me. And how could I possibly forget Traci Lords as Bubbles. Her sex scene is laugh out loud funny!

If you are looking for an escape from all the politics we’re currently being force-fed by every possible media outlet, Zack & Miri will do the trick nicely. You may want to leave the kids at home for this one, though. (you probably figured that out from the title, though)

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: kevin smith, Movie, review

Building a Crazybooth

October 19, 2008

The idea is fairly simple. The execution is a different story. Todd and I wanted to build a crazybooth to set up at the 5th annual Halloween party we were set to attend last night. What is a crazybooth you ask? It’s a photo booth large enough to fit a few people inside and secluded enough to let people get crazy once they get inside.

The week leading up to the party, we went to lunch with a pad of paper and worked on the design for how we wanted to build it. The goal is to make it big enough to handle a small group, but small enough that we could set it up inside a normal size house without too much trouble. We also wanted to make sure that it was fairly portable so that we could take it to events without it being a major pain in the rump.

All our initial designs called for large amounts of PVC pipe. We’d build it in pieces that could break down fairly easily and be stored in a canvas bag. We were pretty happy with our “final” sketch and we were planning to hit up Home Depot after work on Wednesday to buy the parts. And then, before we had a chance, an idea floated to the top. We hit the sporting goods store in search of a picnic canopy. We then picked up some flat sheets, some clamps and we were in business.

We took all our goodies back to the house and set it up in our living room. We clamped white sheets around all sides leaving an opening for people to enter/exit and also for the tripod to sit mostly outside the booth but shoot between two sheets. We were fairly pleased with the results and we packed up and waited for the party.

Here’s a shot of the basic setup (before all the sheets were hung) and a resulting shot of my son:

The day of the party came and we headed over a little early to get set up. The area we had to set up the 10×10 canopy fit PERFECTLY in the space provided by the host. Our host had a few soft box lights that she let us borrow. This was mistake #1. We set them up along with a flash and an awesome crazy green backdrop. As the guests started to trickle in, we’d grab them as they passed and threw them in to the crazybooth. This was mistake #2.

As the night rolled on, the booth became a popular spot. At one time we had a dozen people in line waiting to go in as groups. Between Todd and I, I’m guessing we took 500 photos. I’ve yet to see his results, but I can already tell you that the booth was a big success. The host thanked us SEVERAL times and we were asked for copies of the shots by at least 20 people. Even though it was a success, it was our first time trying the crazybooth and I can tell you that there are several bad choices made along the way.

Here are some things I’ll keep in mind before our next outing with the crazybooth:

Do not use equipment you’ve never used before. While the softboxes were nice, they introduced some issues with flash syncing. I would like to have run in to that problem BEFORE I had people in the booth wanting their photos taken.
Do not use a bed sheet as the background. In the sample photo above, the sheet in the background shows all the creases where the sheet was folded. In the future I’ll either use seamless paper or a crazy background like the one in the shots below.
Make sure there is enough light to allow your camera to auto-focus. While this wasn’t a problem thanks to the softboxes, it’s something to be aware of.
Do not use cheap wireless triggers and receivers for your flashes. I can’t tell you how many shots were missed because the flashes didn’t fire thanks to the wireless triggers. I’m either going to purchase Pocket Wizards to ensure they fire remotely every time, or I’m going to hook them up with a sync cable. The cheap triggers we used are fine for setting up stationary shots that we have all day to snap, snap, snap away. But, for “in the moment” shots they just won’t do.
Don’t forget the props. We were planning on hitting up the $0.99 cent store to pick up things like silly glasses, hats and other random items that people could use for inspiration to be silly. Even though we were going to a Halloween party where everybody would be wearing a costume, it still would have been nice to have some items that people could have used for inspiration.
Do not drag people in to the crazybooth. This could also be categorized as, don’t open the crazybooth until half-way through the party. At any party that is going to include alcohol, it’s important to remember that when people put it in their system, they tend to loosen up and get a little crazier. Unless you are looking to take photos that can be used in a school yearbook, let people acclimate, loosen up and seek out the crazybooth on their own. The resulting photos will be worth the wait.
Have extra everything. Batteries for your flashes and camera, memory cards, even an extra camera if possible. You won’t always be close enough to home to run back once you get to an event. Make sure you have everything you need in case something fails on you.

For our shoot, we started off using my camera and then switched to Todd’s once we started running in to the sync issues. Luckily, his camera didn’t have the same problems. I took a few dozen shots with my camera at the beginning of the night. The shots from Todd’s camera are going to be way more exciting (They were taken AFTER the alcohol was flowing freely). Regardless, I’m thrilled with the results and can’t wait for our next opportunity to drag out the crazybooth.

Here are a few photos taken with my camera before switching to Todd’s. A link to more will be added in the comments in a day or two when we process the rest of the shots.

Many thanks to Nate and Jaclyn over at TheBlogIsFound.com. I absolutely love their photography and their blog was where we found the idea of the crazybooth.

Filed Under: General, Photography Tagged With: crazybooth, Halloween, party, Photography

Rock Band 2 Times 2

October 18, 2008

First a little history. A few months back I loaned my xBox 360 to a friend so he could host a Rock Band party at his house. I sent it home with him the day before the party, he set it up, we all went over and had a great time. A couple days later he returned it to me and I brought it home and hooked it all back up. Only one problem, I was no longer able to connect to my network. I checked a bunch of settings and thought I had exhausted all my options. When I still wasn’t able to connect, I sorta gave up and just went on playing without connecting. No biggie.

Fast forward a few months. I was anxiously awaiting the release of Rock Band 2. I picked it up the day it came out, brought it hope and since I had a few dozen new songs to unlock and play, the need to access the online music store was set soothed.

That all changed last week. I received a text message that said, “Dude, Motley Crue’s Dr. Feelgood whole album available for download on Rock Band.” This comes on the heels of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ full album being released for download only a few weeks before. OK, time to get this problem taken care of, STAT!

I thought my issue was the fact that my xBox is downstairs and my wireless router is upstairs on the opposite side of the house. So, I unhooked the wires from the TV so that I could re-wire it in a way that would let me move the xBox several feet closer to the router. Like a moron, I did this while the xBox was on and the Rock Band 2 disc was in. After moving the machine didn’t work, I checked some more settings and FOUND THE ISSUE! Hot damn! I was connected again and all was right in the world. Temporarily.

I went to the online music store and downloaded 1 of the new Motley tracks, Dr. Feelgood. Unfortunately, it seems that they have changed the way the music store works and you are no longer able to queue up several purchases for downloading in the background while you are playing other tracks. Instead, you must wait and watch the progress bar march along. Because of this I only bought the 1 song and then headed back to the game to go play it. Paxton and I log in, go to the quickplay screen and start scrolling down to find Dr. Feelgood. As we do an error message pops up saying, “This disc is unreadable. Please wipe with a soft cloth and try again.” When I take the disc out to clean it, the disc is spotlessly clean. However, about a quarter-inch from the edge, there is a ring around the disc that basically looks like somebody took a laser and carved in to it. The only thing I can figure is that when I moved the xBox while it was on, it caused something very funky to happen and I ruined the disc.

Yesterday I went and picked up my second copy of Rock Band 2. I downloaded a few more tracks today and had a great time. I’m still pretty bummed about having to buy a second copy, but I don’t think this is anything I can blame on anybody but myself. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Filed Under: Ranting Tagged With: game, Rock Band, xbox 360

Dealing with Twitter Spam

October 16, 2008

I’m not even close to being surprised, but the amount of Twitter Spam I’ve been getting lately is on the rise. Sure, it’s nice to have your follower count go up, but when the only messages coming from them are for you to come check out their poker site and receive $50 in bonus cash, the trade off is just not worth it. Besides, letting these spammers stick around only makes the place a little worse for everybody.

So how should you deal with spammers? Easy; block them.

Ya see, Twitter has a nice set of rules that is designed to keep the spammers out. Of course that’s just not going to happen entirely since any time you have access to a large number of people, the spammers want to come piss in that pool. But, by taking the 10 seconds to go an block the spammer on twitter, you are actively being part of the solution.

Twitter’s software is getting pretty good at catching the spammers. Twice this week I have received notices that I have a new follower. An hour later when I went to check out their account, they had already been blocked. I call that efficient!

I’m one of those guys who leaves the email notifications turned on so that every time I get a new follower, I receive an email. I do this because I usually will go and follow the people who follow me. I read the incoming email, click the link to go check out the person’s twitter profile and I decide if they are a spammer.

What is considered spam?
When I view the person’s twitter account, I look at the following:
1) How many followers do they have?
2) How many people are they following?
3) How many tweets do they send out?
4) How many tweets include a link or some sort of offer?

If they have 8 or 10 (or more) times less followers than they are following, this is a good indication that they are using external software to follow mass quantities of people hoping that they will reciprocate by following them. They are getting blocked.

If they are following more than 100 people and they have less than 10 tweets, I’ll check the content of their tweets to see if they look “spammy.” I usually just give it the sniff test. If something smells funny, for example, 5 tweets and 3 of them have a link back to the same site, I’ll block them.

If somebody has sent 5000 or more tweets, I won’t block these ones, but I’m less likely to follow them, too. Typically I find that these guys are responding to EVERY tweet they see come in. That’s totally fine. I have no problem with that. I’m just not going to follow them back as I don’t need to read all their response messages.

Twitter’s software looks for all of these things as well, so it won’t be too long before your spammy follwers end up getting the proverbial boot by Twitter. But, it’s such a nice feeling to think that you’ve helped get them kicked off the site. Well, I know it works for me.

Not sure how to block somebody on twitter? Check out this post here.

Filed Under: Ranting, Social Media, Technology Tagged With: spam, twitter

10 years on ebay

October 15, 2008

10 years ago today I signed up for my ebay.com account. I was trying to think if there are any accounts I’ve had longer than this one (email accounts or something like that), but I’m pretty sure that it is the oldest account of any type I have online.

Over the past 10 years my account has been used primarily to purchase things, though I have sold quite a few items as well. I’ve racked up a user rating of 426 though I’ve completed more than 1000 transactions. More often than not the other party failed to leave feedback. I have a 100% positive feedback rating and have never received a neutral or negative comment. I’m pretty proud of that fact.

I was trying to come up with a list of interesting items that I’ve purchased or sold on ebay. I was amazed at how difficult coming up with a list was. But, that’s probably good for you, the reader, as the list I did come up with is fairly short and sweet.

Cool items I’ve purchased on eBay:

Funhouse Pinball machine
Chuck Palahniuk promotional item: Anal Beads
Countless domain names (HotStupidGirls.com being the standout amusing domain)

Cool items I’ve sold on eBay:

Funhouse Pinball machine (yes, the same one I purchased)
2 Beastie Boys stickers that sold for over $200 and I have no idea why
My entire collection of Rocky Horror memorabilia
Used First Gen iPhone (16 GB sold for $460)

These days I don’t use eBay as much as I once did. I mainly use it for research when shopping for specific items. I do have some items I want to sell on eBay and it would be pretty cool to get my user rating to 500 while maintaining a perfect record. Though, at my current rate, getting to 500 could take up the next 10 years.

Filed Under: default Tagged With: ebay

ECW / WWE Smack Down Wrestling

October 14, 2008

I’m almost embarrassed to admit the amount of fun I had tonight going to a live taping of ECW and WWE Smack Down Wrestling. As a kid I was a HUGE fan of wrestling. That was back in the days of Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Iron Sheik and some up and comer named Hulk Hogan. It’s been many years since I have considered myself a fan of wrestling. But I tell you what, they put on an entertaining evening.

Over the summer my son spent a few weeks staying with his grandma in California. While there he spent a fair amount of time with his two cousins who are big fans of wrestling. By the time we got him back, he too was a wrestling fan. My Tivo has been filled with wrestling ever since. When he found out they’d be doing a taping here in town, be dropped a couple subtle hints that he wanted to go… By subtle I mean dancing around the house screaming at the top of his lungs. OK, maybe not that extreme, but I’m not far off. I did a little research and found that the tickets were pretty reasonable. With all that, how could we NOT go?

For the first hour the stage is set up for a live taping of the ECW show. There’s about a 15 minute delay, but other than that, it’s shot basically in real time and it airs the same night. This means there is some dead-air time as they cut away for commercials and promos, but they kept it almost exactly to an hour. These guys obviously have it down to a science and they don’t seem to miss a thing.

At the end of the first hour, about 20 crewmen come out and they do an AMAZING job of switching out the ropes in the ring from ECW to WWE Smack Down. They also replace all of the banners around the ring and in less than 10 minutes they are done with the transformation. We barely had time to grab Paxton a Jeff Hardy shirt before they were queuing up the intro music for WWE.

The wrestlers and the production value for WWE is quite a bit better for WWE. And, the crowd was WAY more in to it once the WWE portion started. We were sitting in front of a guy and girl who were pretty funny to listen to. During the ECW portion they did nothing but complain. And I mean about EVERYTHING. “Don’t these people know that so-and-so retired?” “Don’t these people know that so-and-so got beat by so-and-so at such-and-such event?” If they weren’t so amusing I would have probably turned around and told them to STFU. Thankfully it didn’t come to that. But, the karma police made a stop at their doorstep anyway. A guy trying to pass in their aisle kicked over their $6 soda. How do I know it cost $6? Because he complained about it for the next 10 minutes. I’m pretty sure I was smiling the entire time.

I’m bummed I didn’t take my nice camera with zoom lens. I saw several people with them and nobody was saying a word. Bah! I’ll know for next time. Until then, here are a few shots from my pocket camera.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: ecw, smack down, wrestling, wwe