I’ve been up rather late these past couple of weeks, and it’s starting to show. I’ve grown a goatee, I have a part in my hair again (not since high school have a had a freaking part in my hairline), I’m not speeding… things of serious concern. So on my way to work this AM (7:21am to be exact) I see a pack of dogs. A PACK of dogs people, in Kansas City. I don’t know if I hallucinated this, but I did a double-take and sure enough there they were… The Tramp, Jaque, some of his posse… didn’t see Lady though.

While in Clear Water we visited the aquarium near by with Winter, the dolphin missing his tail. Traumatic story about a dolphin who lost his tail in a crab trap… anyway, it was educational and the kids liked it, but the really cool part was the petting stingray area. These rays had the stingers removed so we could interact with them. Was cool. They feel real slippery; come to find out that’s due to the thin layer or mucus… nice. I wiped my hands of on the boy.

I’ve recently been in Chicago, NYC, and am currently in the Tampa airport waiting for our Memorial Labor Day weekend (thanks to Moe for the correction… I know nothing about holidays) vacation to come to a close. We spent the last three nights in Clear Water Florida… wow, what a fantastic place. I ate seafood every day/night by the truck load; lets recap, shall we:

1. Steamed Clams
2. Steamed Mussels
3. Steamed Shrimp
4. Steamed Crab Legs
5. Broiled Crab Cakes
6. Lobster Bisque
7. New England Clam Chowder
8. Fried Scallops
9. Fried Shrimp
10. Pan Seared Tuna
11. Fried White Fish
12. Shrimp Salad
13. Fried Gator
14. Shrimp Kabobs
15. Shrimp Linguine
16. And lets not forget the killer Hush Puppies at Crabby Bills!

On our last day we discovered a sandbar beyond the “swim” sign out in the ocean… we found sand-dollars by the hand full… kids loved it. I am burned, but working on the Mojitos from lunch so doing just fine. Kids are making way too much noise here past security, but such is that of a tired traveler.

It can be the forum community on any of my Porsche sites I frequent, the comments on Digg, the chatter on Rotten Tomatoes / IMDB… some of the stuff in here is hysterical. I try and stay clear of the really ugly and mean discussions, but for those that comment and use wit to elevate a ridiculous story I raise a glass of electrolyte enhanced water to you. I’ve read multiple things this morning that have caused me to openly laugh here in the office. Granted, I tend to snicker and chuckle (who the hell chuckles) now and again (and who the hell says “now and again”), but to laugh out loud (lol for those in the know… man, I’m even more of a looser today for some reason) at a comment thread, that doesn’t happen much.

So when I read, in reference to a posting over at Reddit about a stupid picture of a lonely dog in the rain:

“When are you coming back, Phillip J. Fry? (link to comment thread)”

That just freaking had me on the floor (if you are a fan of Futurama, like I am, you get it… maybe not that funny, but it hit a nerve).

Or, when over at Digg someone posted an application to test if you happen to have Autistic Tendencies (the site is down at the time this posting was posted):

“Hey! fuck you test! just because I don’t like people doesn’t mean I’m autistic! (link to comment thread)”

I mean, I’m still laughing at that. I don’t know if it’s because I can see myself saying (writing) the same thing, or if my medication is reacting to all these new electrolytes in my system, but some of these anonymous people out here are freaking great. Most are self-serving jackasses who enjoy belittling the masses, but some of you are freaking great (no, not you, them; them over there).

Although, to be fair, this does have the potential to be very helpful with reviews about local business and such. It’s a competitor of CraigsList, with a Facebook type of spin. We’ll watch and see how it evolves. From their about us section:

…the ultimate city guide that taps into the community’s voice and reveals honest and current insights on local businesses and services on everything from martinis to mechanics.

Of course I’ve setup a profile and am going to showcase the best and worst experiences in this great slice of life I like to refer to as Kansas City. What I like about Yelp is that it’s the “ULTIMATE” city guide, as opposed to those other not so ultimate ones… er… k…

Washington Post article.

It seems that Lei Yixin was selected to create the 28 foot statute of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Mall in Washington DC. Having lived just outside of DC for most of my young life, a monument to Dr. King is long overdue. It seems some people are are bit upset by the artists selection…

“Dr. King’s statue is to be shipped here in a crate that supposedly says ‘Made in China.’ That’s just obscene,” Winfrey Young says.

According to the article – “She and her husband, Gilbert Young, a painter, are leading a group of critics who argue that an African American — or any American — should have been picked for such an important project.”

I can’t help but quote Mr. Yixix:

“He has always dreamed that people from all over the world will not be judged by the color of their skin — that we would all be brothers and sisters and enjoy equal opportunity. Now I have the luck to get this opportunity…”

He’s got a point. And frankly, the initial concept for the sculpture is rather impressive in my opinion.

Talk about a cool idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when I travel with my little angles and they scream, whine, cry, moan, and generally act like little monsters while in the airport. And don’t get me started when I actually ask the bigger one to CARRY something (god forbid). This suitcase could possibly be the solution for the little buggers. On various other blogs adults are asking: “where’s the my size version… I get tired too…”

Apparently the inventor got ripped apart on a BBC show for aspiring inventors/entrepreneurs called Dragons’ Den (never heard of it).

So for $40 (without shipping) you can get a suitcase that holds up to 5 gallons of space, wheels, a puling strap, and potentially a kid who won’t give you such a hard time while waiting to run though security… I’m sold. Read more over at the website for the Trunki.

Let it be known here that I am not typically a fan of Porsche’s convertibles. I know, I know, unthinkable. I love the way the 356 looks with the top down, and the 550 is just awesome, but frankly when they all put the top back up I’m no longer awe inspired. This brings us to a 2 fold post: great new website, “eh” new Turbo.

Porsche (and Volvo, and Saab, and VW) have been creating some fantastic micro sites to promote new auto releases. With Flash, they’ve been incorporating video and audio and 3D unlike many out in the online space. It’s fluid (as long as you have enough pipe to flow all the load), clean, stylish and simply cool to play with. Now, I’m not a fan of introducing navigation that confuses, so it’s always nice when non-traditional nav works well with the informational gathering (and traditional navigation is offered). It’s a cool site.

The other reason I’m not so much a fan of Porsche convertibles… if I’m going to be driving as close to 200mph as possible, and I’ve got 450+hp at my access, I’ll be damed if I don’t have a freaking roof above my head. I really need to look into a roll cage.

Now you won’t be an employee of Google’s, but a Google Representative. All you have to do is own a digital camera, have access to a computer (and internet; come-on people, you’re making me work too hard at this), and I guess that’s it. I mean, I’d suggest you use a car, but for dense cities I guess walking would be your best bet. So what’s the deal? Google is attempting to compile the most accurate small business database around, and they need your help. From the FAQ section:

“As a Google Business Referral Representative, you’ll visit local businesses to collect information (such as hours of operation, types of payment accepted, etc.) for Google Maps, and tell them about Google Maps and Google AdWords. You’ll also take a few digital photos of the business that will appear on the Google Maps listing along with the business information. After the visit, you submit the business’ info and photo(s) to Google through your Local Business Referrals Center, and we’ll pay you up to $10 for each listing that is approved by Google and verified by the business.

All you need to be a successful Business Referral Representative is a passion for helping local businesses succeed, a love for the Internet (some knowledge of Google is great, too), and access to a computer and a digital camera.”

Sounds easy, eh? That’s $2 per pop to submit info, and an additional $8 when the small business confirms the info. I don’t know… hit 10 a day, say 7 of them actually confirm, work seven days a week… that’s $490 a week… 52 weeks in a year…. that’s $25,480 a year working 365 days a year… lets say you can double that to 14 per day, working every day out of the year… that’s $50,960… Dunno if I’d quit my day job, but I love free money.

Now wait, I’d hardly call this free money (great, am i talking to myself in a BLOG… this can’t be good). You’ve got the camera cost, computer costs, gas costs (if driving), varying access to business (a lot of places don’t open on Sundays, holidays, etc.), and then there’s the people hurdle:

You – “Hi, I’m with Google…”
Business – “You work for Google?”
You – “Well, no, I’m a Representative…”
Business – “Do you have a card?”
You – “Well, no, I don’t but I’m here to verify your address and have you heard about AdWords…”

Call me crazy, but this seems like a great idea in theory… I’m dying to see the person who proves me wrong and averages 30 business a day. Good luck people, I’ll be watching.

I totally forgot to mention this while I wasn’t posting for so long (did that make sense?): GrandCentral was acquired by Google a while back and I signed up for the service as soon as I discovered it. Check it out.