 20050930
Live NYC traffic cameras + Google Maps = True Love Foreva. via Kunal.
Ringback Tones
I heard my first customized Ringback Tone last night. I dialed my friend's number and immediately heard Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved playing mid-song. I thought it was her voicemail greeting -- so I prepped myself to leave a message, but then I heard "Hello?" and again, for a second, I thought this was part of the recording. Well, it wasn't. She pays for the service through Verizon's Ringback program. Essentially, this allows her callers to hear a song of her choice, instead of the *ring ring*.This will get annoying very quickly, won't it? Especially once everyone is using the service, and you can't go through the day without hearing another skullcrushing HOT Pop 40 single. I think it would be neat if I could choose what I heard when I was ringing someone. If that were possible, I would select Soul Coughing's True Dreams of Wichita or Schubert's Ave Maria. Not sure yet. What about you?
Nikon SLR History via Nick.
Remember: NYC Photobloggers 5, tonight, 7pm, Apple Store SoHo. If you can't make the presentations, I suggest you crash the afterparty (94 Prince St) where you can mix with New York's friendliest photographers AND drink beer.
20050929
My friends John Gevers and Gregory Fryzel created a photo exhibit entitled Facing HIV/AIDS. Until very recently, it hung in a hall at the Allen Country Public Library in downtown Fort Wayne. Luckily, you can now see the series online.
Labels: Fort Wayne
I saw Capote tonight. It was good. When I got home I dropped my keys at the doors, while I rushed to my laptop to read his wikipedia entry and order In Cold Blood in hardcover.
My friend Jacob Morris has started recording again. He sent me These Things That Belong to You, a song I only heard him play once before, right at this moment.
He wrote to me this morning: I was just thinking about that time we went to the gorge. I remembered that I played this song that you said sounded like the Lyle Lovett song about the horse and the boat and I said I probably would never record it. Well, my brother made me sit down one evening and record songs and I did record it. Anyway, I wanted to send it to you--posthumously. I hope all is well and that you have a good day. Geez, I miss that kid. He lives in Athens, GA now.
Gameloft set to publish The O.C. mobile video game:
20050928
The style of play is similar to reality-simulation titles like "The Sims," allowing fans of the show to explore the "O.C." universe by dressing to impress, joining the right cliques, dating the right people and striving to fit into the ultra-trendy community.via Pete.
I am initiating coverage of KIPCO.
The 'looming giant' Chinese economy has a GDP that is $400 billion less than the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy. via Ethan.
Dave Matthews Not That Into Himself Anymore. Funny. via Ricky.
20050927
Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 23.
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Despite being an otherwise good day, it still proved to be cursed -- not cursed like Cujo cursed, but just enough so that slightly unfortunate (given, sometimes funny) things tend to happen. For instance, on my 5th birthday, my parents treated us to a spree at Aléthea’s, a kid's dream candy store in Clarence, NY, where I grew up. I asked for a box of sponge candy, and my little brother Noel chose some Good & Plenty. On the car ride home, he complained that his nose hurt. Back at the house, my parents realized that Noel had lodged one of the little candy bits up his nostral. We spent the rest of the night in the ER while a team of nurses tossed out ideas to get the candy out. I remember pliars being an option, but, ultimately, they just let him run around the waiting room while the candy melted and fell out. Anyway, that's just one example. In July, I bought a motorbike. After passing my motorcycle license exam, I have been waiting two months for paperwork to be processed so that I can register the bike. From the beginning, it has been a mess. The guy I bought it from turned out to be a nut and he left town the week after he sold it to me, leaving me stranded without the necessary paperwork to register it in New York. Meanwhile, it has been sitting on the street, chained underneath a scaffolding, gathering grime and suffering blows from drunks in the night. Jake joked that it had become the world's most expensive cup holder because nearby construction workers would often deposit empty coffee cups in its basket. Well, then at last, on my birthday, my license came in the mail. I suddenly desire to go outside, clean off my bike, and sit on its brown leather seat, with the license in my back pocket. I turned the corner, and pointed my eyes towards its spot. I literally wiped my eyes, and took another look. Nothing. The bike was taken, stolen, whatever. It's gone. I called the police, they arrived, they told me they couldn't do anything because it was properly registered (see above), and they left. I've called salvage yards, tow lots, etc. It hasn't turned up. If you see some Eurotrash-looking jerk spouting down Spring St on a yellow Honda -- it's not me -- it's the inconsiderate wanker who took my bike, so please tackle him.
Nikola posted some pictures from Wednesday night's welcome party for Arianna Huffington.
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There's a candid shot of me eating a quesadilla, and Michael Stipe crouching on the left, and Rhys Coiro, who plays Billy Walsh on Entourage (The director of Queens Boulevard), on the right. What a ridiculously good/bad photo for my scrapbook.
The Wall Street Journal says the new Yahoo! Mail is better than Gmail:
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The new Yahoo Mail is far superior to Gmail. Yahoo more closely matches the desktop experience most serious email users have come to expect. Gmail, by contrast, is quirky and limited. Its only advantage is its massive free storage, which exceeds what most people will ever need.I am still waiting for an invitation to use Yahoo. If you are already in, let me know, I would like to interview you.
#3A75C4
20050918
What's That Bug?: People send in photographs of mysterious insects they find around the house, and this 'average guy' spends time on the Internet researching the possible identity. Over time, he has become an expert and his site a huge collection of very neat pictures.
20050917
Nick told me about it after I found this beast on my camera bag during a hike. I found out that she is a Golden Orb-Weaver spider.
A late night walk in Nick's neighborhood has me thinking about Skylab (?!?!?), the ill-fated American space station. The wikipedia entry is fascinating.
20050916
The best part is a section from the entry on Skylab Mission 4, which was the fourth and last time Astronauts visited the station: One of its first tasks was to unload and stow within Skylab thousands of items needed for their lengthy mission. The schedule for the activation sequence dictated lengthy work periods with a large variety of tasks to be performed. The crew soon found themselves tired and behind schedule.Incredible!
I will be in Atlanta starting Friday night to visit The Nick Gray, and possibly even The Jake Morris.
Bristopher Crowder has a website: Download every song.
20050915
Pix
I am pausing my DVR to report that during tonight's episode of The OC, a Verizon Wireless commerical mentioned a new word in mobile vocab: Pix.Example, "You can text and pix any other Verizon subscriber for free." I don't watch much TV (only The OC and Entourage), so I am not sure if this word has been mentioned for very long. Clue me in ..
Saw Kaki King last night at Joe's Pub with Paul and Janelle. She was nice.
20050913
I first heard about Ms. King right after Paul saw her at the Knitting Factory. He told me, "I am in love. Her name is Kaki, and I've already written her an email to tell her so." I didn't ask any questions. I knew what he meant. I was, afterall, once smitten with a certain Katrina Kerns. However, things fell apart for him last night. I don't know what happened (maybe it was her lousy jokes), but after the show Paul told me, "You can have her." And, just like that, his torrid infatuation with Kaki fizzled like my wish-I-had-had affair with Katrina. Oh, indie girls, who are also musicians! The things you do to us. You make toothpicks from the timber of our hearts!!! (sigh). It just isn't fair. *** Anyway. CMJ is great. One of my favorite weeks of the year. Tonight: Of Montreal, Grand Buffet, and Aloha at the Knitting Factory.
Nice wallpapers by Type Records.
Extra Ticket Alert!
I suddenly have an extra ticket to tonight's sold-out sigur rós show. If you want to go with me, please send an email with your Name and Hometown.* To go, obviously, you must be able to meet me at the Beacon Theatre at 8pm. ** You don't need to be a superfan. If you've never heard of them -- that's cool, start now by listening to a recording of Olsen Olsen. UPDATE: The show was great, one of a kind! Hurry, they only have a few more shows left in North America. Kottke has a recap, and Flickr has photos.
Busted Tees are now sold in Von Maur across the Midwest, including their store in Fort Wayne's Jefferson Pointe mall.
skinnyCorp Office Shots.
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Our much cooler Chicago alterego. I love them.
Mareen Fischinger is visiting from Düsseldorf!
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Mareen is one of my favorite photobloggers, and her site is a daily must-check. Besides posting pictures from NYC on Flickr, she has led a few photoshoots for Busted Tees and Defunker, which we will post soon. Oh, and she has done one helluva job schoolmarming my meager German.
Remember! OC Season 3 Premiere, tonight at 8! If you are as excited as I am, then you are probably at an OC Party too!
20050907
A few of Ricky's family friends make up a band called Oceanship. They are visiting from Toronto, and crashing at our place while they are in town promoting their latest EP.
They gave me a CD too! I think the hidden track, When In Reverse, is pretty nice.
Insane Photo Slideshow from some volunteer Katrina rescuers. via Ricky.
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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.
Last Friday, my partners and I decided to send a newsletter out to our humongous Busted Tees customer list explaining that we would donate 10% of the weekend sales to Katrina relief efforts.Much to our confusion and insult, we received this letter today from the Red Cross legal team demanding that we 'immediately cease using the red cross symbol in connection with all of (our) activities,' AND furthermore, 'If any monies were raised to benefit the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund, we ask that you please forward information on the sales to date from the promotion, including the amounts donated to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund.' My use of a red cross in our newsletter could earn me a fine or 'imprisonment not more than six months', or both. Obviously, we are bewildered. We've never RAISED MONEY for a NATIONAL DISASTER before -- we should have read the rulebook beforehand. It's frustrating to consider that the Red Cross is spending unknowable amounts of money for lawyers to protect their BRAND from other relief organizations/efforts, ultimately complicating or halting campaigns like ours. I understand why they might need to do it: unscrupulous profiteers could use the disaster to drum up sales in the name of relief -- But, it isn't the case here, and I wonder just how many others like us received the same letter. Most importantly, we now have thousands of dollars stowed away and we are looking for a new charity. Let me know if you have heard of a particularly worthy one. "...George Bush doesn't care about black people."
We posted the video of Kanye's improv during NBC's Katrina telethon on CollegeHumor.
Wikipedia's Hurricane Katrina entry is incredibly comprehensive.
20050901
I ordered a sewing machine. It arrived.
Anyone in the NYC area willing to teach me how to use it well? It's for a top secret project.
I am curious how New Orleans colleges are responding to Katrina -- ie. are they canceling the semester? -- and I found Tulane's emergency blog where they post updates of their recovery efforts. There, I learned, most students were sent home or relocated to Jackson State University in Mississippi. A near reopening date seems unlikely.
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 Hi, I'm Zach. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from Wake Forest. After college, I moved to Manhattan to get serious about a company I ran with friends. We sold it to Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp in 2006. I just wrapped up with a project I co-founded called Vimeo and left CV to focus on being a twenty-five year old. I have another blog called Copy and Taste, where I post about learning to cook. I live in Brooklyn now.  Del.icio.us My Flickr Me on Flickr Last.fm Linked in MySpace Netflix History Vimeo  Amir Blumenfeld Chris Bodenner Mareen Fischinger Fort Wayne Observed Nick Gray Hype Machine Jake and Amir Jakob Lodwick Oh My Rockness Jonathan Marcus Youngna Park Megan Scheminske Eliot Shepard Shorpy Signal vs. Noise Alex Soth Stereogum Ricky Van Veen Khoi Vinh Eugene Wyatt  June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007  Postal Skype SMS (via AIM) |