This is my little piece of the world. I'm a relentless tech junkie and prepress guy ...these are my ramblings and useless swill.

Friday, January 16, 2009

7 Things About Me

I have been really into Twitter for the last few weeks, learning and growing and making it a fun outlet to meet new people and build my "social network." I was asked by Jamie to blog about 7 things that will help people get to know be a bit better... here goes.

  1. I am the largest closet drummer in the world. I have always wanted a drum set. From my early formative days to this very day I am drawn to a drum set. Large or small, percussion always pulls me into the mood. I have always been a hard core RUSH fan. I'm pretty sure its the massive drum set Neil Peart uses that really makes me smile and gets by blood moving along. The way he maneuvers the drums..he is a master of his trade. Don't believe me, check this out. I always meant to take drum lessons when I was young. I took piano lessons as prerequisite to playing drums, but for whatever reason, I never did it. Whenever I would go over to my friend Eric's house, I would sit at his drum set and jam like I was a rock star. To this day there are still a set of drum sticks in my closet and whenever I'm feeling really in the mood, I'll air drum to something fun just to let out some energy. Someday I will have a large digital drum set just to sit and enjoy.
  2. 5 years ago I was sent to China for business. I had the opportunity of spending 17 days in Hong Kong and Shenzen, China to visit overseas printing operations. I visited so many places and saw so many things that I have never seen before its kinda hard to get your hands around all the new sights and sounds. I think of all the lasting impressions I will have from my trip to the far east the fondest would be the gracious Chinese people. Before my journey to Hong Kong and Shenzhen. China, my whole impression of the Far East was one that CNN, Fox News and USA Today had me believe. Soldiers marching in the streets, people working in factories like robots and systems that are backwards and technologically behind.... I was wrong...so wrong! My experience in China was nothing short of a life changing experience. I tell people that my trip to China was the best thing I have done since the birth of my children...bar none. What I saw paled anything I would have dreamed.

    My new found love, honor, respect for the people I met is unimaginable. My stereotypes were shattered from the very start. What I saw was a pure of love, love of life, respect for there country and for the people in which they worked and served. So many hard working people trying to get from Monday to Tuesday and from here to there...just doing there thing. My experience in China was one I will never forget. Both my personal and professional life has been changed...for the better I can only hope!

  3. I hate, scratch that I loath walnuts. Nasty, icky, yucky!

  4. I'm the president of the Graphic Users Association of Kodak Solutions or GUA for short. This users group started out in 1996 and now has over 4000 members world wide. Kodak is a leading prepress workflow in the printing industry. I have been on the board of directors for the past 6 year and president for the past 3 years. Along with the other board members, both from within Kodak and Kodak customers, I assist in putting together the yearly conference. Last years conference was held in Vegas and had an attendance of over 300 members. This years conference will be in Orlando, Fl - May 17 - 21.

  5. I served a full time mission for the LDS Church. I served for 2 years in the Nevada, Las Vegas Mission back in teh late 80's.

  6. I, along with 3 of my brothers, are HUGE eBay fans. I have purchased 3 of my last cars on eBay, Volvo 850 Turbo, GMC Envoy and Cadillac SRX. My brother Chris buys and sells used Honda's Mercedes and Porsche's on eBay and each one of my siblings is driving an eBay vehicle purchase.

  7. I build a pretty mean pinewood derby car. With the help of some tools and skills from my friends over at Derby Champ, Tommy III, my 8 yr old son, was able to win 59 of 60 races last year. This years pinewood derby is in 2 weeks so we are actively building and crafting the vehicle as we speak. The mantra you need to say over and over is "wheels and axles, wheels and axles--weight in the back" and you'll will win every time. See for yourself.
And just in case you didn't care for any of the 7 above, I'll throw in a few extras:
  • Growing up I had pet cats named Fred and Barney, bothers. One day as I pulled out of the driveway, I accidentally drive over barney :<. Note to self, never fall asleep on the tire when someone intends on driving the vehicle.

  • During my high school years I was in the AV club, hard to believe, but yes I was.

  • I'm an Eagle Scout, Both me and my younger brother Mark received our awards on the same evening.
That all folks...

Rock on!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

300 Club Brrrrr

Here in N.E. Wisconsin its currently -14 F with a wind chill at -37. YUCK. Schools are all shut down and the town is pretty much Sloooow going. I was watching the some show in cable that I can't remember the name of, but the show was about the south pole. They talked about a ritual called the 300 Club. From the 300 Club blog

"The 300 Club is a mid-winter activity at Pole so named for the -300°F temperature shift one experiences when running from a +200°F sauna to the Pole and back when the outside ambient temperature hits -100° or below. The air is so dry here that it's possible to sit in a sauna that warm without getting scalded, and it's also possible to make a several minute walk to the Pole and back without losing fatal amounts of body heat. Air is a poor conductor of heat, and ultra-dry air at two-thirds of sea level pressure is even worse. Still, there are some safety-related traditions, such as the buddy-system (never do the 300 Club alone), wear shoes or boots, and there's no shame in wearing gloves or a face-mask."

Now that's what I call hard core!!

Attention to Details

Many people have said its the small things that count. Well attention to details has always been a kind of mantra that I have had. Sometimes quality issues can be brushed off as rookie errors and have no harm, but sometimes those errors can cause thousands and even millions of dollars in extra cost. I found this website that I guess fits this notion. Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

LaserDisc Finally Dead?

I had no idea laserdisc players were still being manufactured. Yes, I'm just as shocked and horrified to hear the news as you are, but it seems to be true. Pioneer, the last major electronics manufacturer to continue production of laserdisc players, has announced they'll discontinue all three of the models they currently offer, leaving dozens of hardcore fans in the dust. But cheer up: we'll always have the memories, and this poster.

hat tip akihabaranew news

$300,000 Zenith Defy Mens Watch

Looking for the timepeice for the guy who has everything?? Want to make sure his gift isn't one that someone else may have? Well this is the watch for you.

Incredible dive depth of 1000m. High-temperature resistant bracelet in black titanium: Solid titanium structure reinforced by Kevlar lateral inserts.

This automatic winding mechanical movement is distinguished by its unique gyroscopic tourbillon cage, and off-centered time display. Composed of 166 individual components, the tourbillon construction also incorporates both spherical and conically-geared wheels, as well as six ball bearings; the unique design promises optimal horizontal positioning of the regulating organ. The Zenith Zero G Tourbillon watch is crafted from black titanium, measures 46.5mm in diameter, and is equipped with sapphire crystals on both front and back, as well as a unique crown protection device. The off-centered dial is made from a combination of carbon fiber and aluminum.

Hat tip Exotic Excess Find this on Amazon

The Pres has a new ride...

Looks like the new president has a new ride... Checkout these stats...

The new car Barack Obama will use is a Cadillac that rivals the bulletproof SUV that rapper, 50 Cent drives.

According to Gizmodo, Obama’s Cadillac has several high tech features, including
• It can withstand rocket impacts and it’s perfectly sealed against biochemical attacks.
• Petrol tank: Can withstand a direct hit thanks to a special foam and armor-plating.
• Bodywork: made of dual hardness steel, aluminum, titanium, and ceramics to “break up posible projectiles”.
• Tyres: Kevlar-reinforced with steel rims underneath so it can run away no matter what.
• Accessories include: Night vision cameras, pump-action shotguns, tear gas cannons.
• Comes with bottles of blood compatible with the President’s blood.

Read more and even see a video here...

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

I'm Almost Famous


For those who have known me for a long time... I'm a whore for new tech stuff and twitter is one of my big new things. I just love it.. love it to death. It's amazing how you can connect with people I would never have been able to connect with before. One new friend over at AuctiondirectUSA asked me a few questions about my past and present cars and now i'm in print. I'm published...well on the web anyways. This is just so cool.



It all started with one follower @terrymyers and now it has ballooned to over 400 and growing daily. I have new friends at the NY Times, TimeWaner Cable , Kodak Execs or even a host of a morning talk show in DC...and so many others. Pople that would never give me the time of day under any other circumstance, seem to flock to twitter and communicate almost on comment. it totally rocks! The world is your oyster with this technolgy and you have access to them all... right in the palm of your hand with Twitter clients for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Treo and a lot more others.

Then I see my new found twitter friend over at Markzware also mentioned me... ding another shot at fame. All in about 2 months of hanging out and testing twitter. So from zero to being one of the Top Twitter Elite in my area.. not bad for a little known tech guy from Wisconsin...