Archive for December, 2008
Favorite Virgin Island Photos
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
The Virgin Islands are proving to be a good canvas for me (full set here). Yesterday was a fantastic day, producing some personal bests. Here are my favs so far.
This sunset was just fantastic, in all I had two great shots of the rising sun, but this was my favorite because of the captured sun beam…
Next up was this almost all black and white shot of Virgin Gorda, captured atop its highest peak. I like it because of the panoramic view it shows, including the curve of the earth.
The below view of the Baths shows rocks, boats and people frolicking amongst them. The shot really gives a kind of idyllic view of this special place in Virgin Gorda.
Another shot of the Baths, this time from inside the trail, showing what it’s like to walk underneath the massive boulders.
And finally, a distant shot of the storied Bitter End Yacht Club, where the world’s richest play (accessible by boat only).
Popularity: 30% [?]
Posted in Entertainment | No Comments »
Dream City
Monday, December 29th, 2008
I just finished reading Brendan Short’s Dream City, a first novel from a young aspiring author. IT was an excellent foray into the world of collecting things that are old, from our past. But really the book spoke to me on many levels about the relationships that fathers and sons have. From Paddy and Michael to Oswald and Junior, we see pain and growth, success and failure and how the trials and tribulations of life affect us all.
It was excellent, and made me want to hug my Dad when I see him later today. Life is short, so love those who are closest to you. The items we cling to in memory mean little to the precious moments we can truly have every day.
I highly recommend Dream City, not just for entertainment purposes, but as a piece of literature that will make you think. Thanks, Brendan. Looking forward to your next book.
Popularity: 29% [?]
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Getting Recharged for More
Saturday, December 27th, 2008
Ironically, my family’s roving biannual reunion has returned me to the Virgin Islands (will be photoblogging this week on Flickr). It was here three years ago that I came burned out and left invigorated with the seeds of starting my company. Two months later I broke out on my own.
Three years later, I’m back and burned out again. Weary from the toil we are all facing right now, from personal challenges, and yet another hard year of old-school entrepreneurial labor and new workplace challenges (failed acquisition, etc.). But, unlike three years ago, I know what’s next.
It’s more fight for me.
Yeah, it was a cheesy movie, but Rocky Balboa had some great lines in it about winning that typify my ethos, my spirit. Paraphrasing, it’s not how hard you can get hit, or what blows life deals. Not how much you can take, but if you get up, and keep moving it forward. No matter what. That’s what winning is about.
I agree. I’ve always been a fighter. I’ll be damned if I give up now after one of the more challenging years of my life. I’ve been through worse tribulations and walked forward.
In some ways, my response has already been to fight. I did not react and panic during these various challenges instead opting to make sound decisions, to keep channels open, to be open and transparent, and to bring forth hope in my daily interactions. It’s been extremely painful at times, but there was no choice. My primary source of strength has been my personal spiritual beliefs. Venting has come in the form of exercise. I can honestly say I’m in the best shape of my post-collegiate life, and have goals to be in even better shape.
This particular trip to the Virgin Islands is more about the spirit. While I intend to recharge physically, it’s about restoring calm and balance. For even the greatest fighters must rest. And great leaders get their will in tune with the larger universe, and so my will — which can be extremely forceful — needs to be aligned with the greater good. While I believe it already is, I need to be rested and spiritually in a good place to ensure this. That’s the law of the physical world.
This place has brought me great comfort and inspiration before. The Islands are alive with nature. I have no doubt I will return invigorated, excited and ready for 2009. And hopefully there will be some great photos, too.
Popularity: 37% [?]
Posted in Me, Myself and I, Reality | 1 Comment »
Georgetown Video Surpasses 5K Views
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
Hard to believe it, but maybe I already shot my “viral video.” When I first bought my PDX-10 I shot a walking tour of Georgetown and clipped it on WIndows. I’ve learned much more since then, but have yet to deliver the viral hit I hoped for. Well maybe I did by accident.
Certainly leaves a lot to be desired, but folks seem to like it. More than 5K views on YouTube. If it surpasses ten K, well, I’ll be shockingly surprised. So there it is.
Popularity: 32% [?]
Posted in Video | No Comments »
25 Random Things You Probably Already Knew About Me
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
Jessica, my high school blogging bud, tagged me in the 25 things you probably already knew about me meme. I promised her I would write the list as soon as I got through the work year, so here we are:
1) I’ve lost a great deal of weight recently, and damn happy about it, too!
2) I love science fiction books and movies. While I can be very eclectic in tastes, this inevitably is my sweet spot.
3) I like riding motorcycles. A lot.
4) Now Is Gone is the book I wrote, but I wanted to write a novel instead.
5) There are 101 things I’d like to do before I die.
6) People that buy into their “personal brand” or other pseudo Internet fame related stuff drive me crazy. It’s absolute utter bullshit.
7) I am teaching a class at Georgetown next spring.
My dog is a black pug named Junior!
9) Coffee and cigars are my two biggest vices of consumption (mmm, good idea!)
10) Baseball is my favorite sport by a long, long mile.
11) Twitter: Love/hate relationship is an understatement. Right now it’s some serious hate.
12) I love a good steak. Gibson’s in Chicago is my fav steakhouse.
13) Sneaker fetish: Yup, I love em. Kinda like Turtle on Entourage (yeah, I know that’s embarassing).
14) Video is an exciting not so new medium for me that seems to be intriguing, yet not enough to take the full-on dive. Satisfied with being an amateur.
15) I used to be a wireless reporter.
16) In college, my nickname was stovetop (God help me).
17) I went to Georgetown grad, but AU was the home of most of my undergradutate education.
18) I started out at Syracuse University. It was too damn cold up there 
19) My personal vision is not to remain a marketer for the rest of my life. Yeah, not at all.
20) I spent my childhood summers alternating between Provence, France and the Jersey Shore.
21) My great, great grand uncle started the Jewish Anti Defamation League.
22) Geek? Did you say geek? Yeah, that’s me. Give me a new tech toy every week, please!
23) My idea of a good time is quiet time.
24) I hate the iPhone, but like the iTouch.
25) I prefer mountains over oceans…
And to pass this fine meme along, I’m tagging Amber Naslund (heh, payback!), Xiobhan (beware of what you ask for), and Christopher.
Popularity: 67% [?]
Posted in Geekery, Me, Myself and I, Video | 2 Comments »
Dear Personal Branders: Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously!
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
LOL, this was fun to make. Merry Christmas!
Popularity: 64% [?]
Posted in Entertainment, Geekery, Video | No Comments »
Defining “Tweet-up”
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
There’s no definition for the word Tweet-up readily available (Image from a Vegas Tweet-up during BlogWorld Expo)! Unfortunately, I needed one recently so here’s my alpha version. SOurces I used included floor9’s definition, Dictionary.com’s definition of meet-up and Twitter’s own definition.
Tweet-up is a coined word combining meet-up and Twitter. Meet-ups feature a local special interest meeting organized through a website, and Twitter is, well, probably the hottest and one of the fastest growing social networks out there. Officially, it’s a social network that, “In countries all around the world, people follow the sources most relevant to them and access information via Twitter as it happens—from breaking world news to updates from friends.”
Reduced to the simplest possible definition, a Tweetup is a chance for the local Twitter community to come together and meet face to face. This relaxed networking event involves fun, meeting at least one or two new people, and use of mobile phones, PDAs and cameras to update web sites. Because Twitter only allows 140 characters per post — a number of characters easily entered into a phone — this often leads to live tweetcasts of such events, particularly the larger ones.
OK, Tweeties, what do you think a Tweet-up is. I would like to submit this definition to Wikipedia, but want to make sure it’s kosher.
Popularity: 31% [?]
Posted in Geekery | 4 Comments »
Seven Things You Don’t Know About Me
Thursday, December 11th, 2008
Somehow, I think I got tagged on this before but it was eight random things. Anyway, Amber tagged me and after getting called out by Ms. Naslund, I refuse to put this on my business blog and risk people thinking I was trying to build a personal brand there or something.
So here you go, seven new things you don’t know about me:
1) My Great, Great, Uncle Ziggy Livingston started the Anti Jewish Defamation League.
2) I hate the holidays, but try to smile my way through them every year and add cheer. But make no doubt about it, it’s a season of endurance for me.
3) In addition to Junior the Pug, I own two cats, a 14 year old bengalese lady named Asia and a 12 year old siamese gent named Blues.
4) I found the Wii boring as all hell after two weeks.
5) I like the Charlie Huston vampire novels. Joe Pitt’s a punk bad ass vampire enforcer. My kind of antihero!
6) My writing idol is Thomas Hardy, the only writer to successfully conquer the three creative forms of novels, plays and poetry.
7) I dream of pulling an Eric Eggertson or a Kathy Sierra (sans drama) and going completely dark. Like gone, baby, gone. I’m not going to do it, but it’s a nice fantasy.
Here are the seven I’d like to hear from:
Richie Escovedo, Andrea Baker, Jessica Hartin Steele, Lauren Vargas (a two time victim of mine), Aaron Brazell, Chris Dorobek, and Jill Foster.
Popularity: 33% [?]
Posted in Me, Myself and I | 4 Comments »
