 20051226 Visiting the Töpels!
 On cusp of my Family leaving from their fun visit here (I hosted my first Christmas this year, with a turkey dinner, etc), I am leaving tomorrow to visit the Töpels who are my favorite Germans. Fabian was an exchange student at my high school in Indiana, we became friends and I visited his family a few times while I studied in London. Since, I've spent a summer living at their house in Viersen working on Crazewire and CV stuff. It's been 2.5 years and now Fabian is studying law in Budapest. I am going to fly to Germany, spend a few days with his family, and then go see Prague and Budapest for the first time. I'll be back Jan 4.
Merry Christmas!
20051224
My friend Pavla in the middle of a Grand Central Station time-lapse. Very very cool.
20051223
Forming-storming-norming-performing via Nick.
CSSVista: A free Windows application for web developers which lets you edit your CSS code live in both Internet Explorer and Firefox simultaneously. via Andew Pile.
 David Cross' actual AMEX card (with his real company name at the bottom). via Ricky. First Heard in 2005
My top 20 songs first heard in 2005 (in order from newest to oldest):I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar - Jonathon Richman Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games - of Montreal Addiction - Kanye West Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz By Your Side - Coco Rosie Joy - Yuki Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap The Exhibition - Kaki King Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens Untitled 4 (Sigur Rós Cover) - Bristopher Crowder Desperate Guys - The Faint Amour Frou - Vetiver You Got Me - VHS or Beta Go It Alone - Beck Ice of Baltimore - Cex List of Demands (Reparations) - Saul Williams Alne - Ima Robot You're My Disco - Fischerspooner Bonemarrow - Mellowdrone Oh Mandy - Spinto Band
Why you should continue to date me: A series of charts and graphs by Joel A. Friesen. via Brian Bell.
20051220
Strike strike strike strike strike
 I was originally excited about the transit strike. It was supposed to coincide with a huge snowstorm and combined there could have been ridiculous amount of chaos and gallantry. I thought my body would naturally shapeshift to that of a Midwestern rugged-type guy, my adrenaline would surge and I would rush to the street to save people trapped in subways, flipped buses, etc -- but the storm never came and the strike was late. Now that it's here, it pretty much sucks. There is no anarchy ... we're just bored, and pissed that we can get lunch delivered. The office is empty because everyone is stuck at their apartments far away. Even worse, my family is coming on Thursday and I have no idea how to get them to my place from the airport ... how awful? (Mom, chill, I swear I'm kidding). Just thinking ... wouldn't it be great if this was happening during the summer? The City would be a party! Imagine the thousands with blankets and coolers hiking up Fifth Ave towards Central Park to picnic. Oh, and for all you Californians who have no idea/care about what's going on -- imagine if every car in LA suddenly had a flat tire. Oh, come on, like you'd know how to fix it. I know I am right ... Yeah, I know -- we're that fucked.
Noah turned me on to photographer Alec Soth. His Sleeping by the Mississippi project is perfect. I was compelled to order the book.
The SNL video everyone's talking about.
My favorite part: Mr Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious.
Facebook launches Pulse. It aggregates user data for individual campuses and "shows what is cool and what is not."
AOLpress
I first started making webpages when I was 13 using a free WYSIWYG editor offered by AOL to its subscribers called AOLpress. My family was still paying for the Internet by the hour, so I would bike over to a library computer where I installed the program. I spent most of my time downloading copies of websites I liked just to open them with AOLpress to see how certain elements and effects were made, and then most likely I copied them onto my own pages (for my fictional newsletter, and design company). Eventually, I learned HTML, but I kept using AOLpress throughout high school until I could afford a copy of Dreamweaver.The point of this post is that after all this time, I found a copy of the AOLpress installation file. The 11-year-old software works on my XP machine and after playing with it for the past hour, I've concluded that it's still great! If my mom ever wanted to make a webpage, I would give this to her before any other program. It is simple, yet comprehensive -- just enough of everything for an absolute beginner to make a good page. I feel ridiculous for feeling so fond for a piece of software -- but sadly/luckily I spent a majority of my pubescent years obsessed with it. In hindsight, I remember how enabled I felt! I could publish anything!!! Then again, I also remember the countless skipped dinners when my mom, angry that I'd ignored her call to come to the table, would scream from the kitchen, "THAT COMPUTER IS NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!!" FYI
Investor's Business Daily: It costs $12,000 to fill the gas tank of a 747. One large airline estimated it saves 17 gallons annually for each pound of weight removed per plane. It shed in-flight phones, some ovens and galley equipment and excess potable water. Alaska Airlines has said that removing just five magazines per aircraft could save $10,000 per year in fuel costs. via Nick.
The Onion redesigned its website and Khoi Vinh wrote a great review describing it's new grid-based layout made by New York-based Behavior Design. via Matt.
20051216
skinnyCorp, our Chicago alter-ego, launched Extra Tasty!, a tag-based drink recipe database.
We had our company gift exchange yesterday. I gave Streeter a
Scott posted some remixes he's collected.
20051215
Anatomy of an Icon. Explains techniques for making great pixel icons.
Conditions are perfect. I'm going to Hunter on Saturday. More the merrier --
20051214
Soon to be the biggest movie in history
King Kong was incredible.Fact: The Lord of the Rings trilogy cost Peter Jackson a total of around $300 million to make. King Kong cost him well over $200 million, not including his
Wishful Thinking from the Germans. Isn't language funny?
Subscriptions
After reading an issue in Jordan's bathroom, I've decided to subscribe to The Week Magazine.You know the the first couple pages of The Economist -- The World This Week -- with its short paragraphs encapsulating political and business news? The Week is like that, but 30 or 40 pages long and includes pop culture bits that make it really well-rounded. 50 issues are only $29 bucks, so I am going to give it shot. By the way, speaking of The Economist, I really like their free email newsletters, especially The Global Agenda and The Cities. Admittedly, I can hardly make it through my issue of The Economist in a week, so the emails get passed over sometimes because I can only digest so much. Nonetheless, they make a great daily addition to your subscription.
Whoa! Interactive New York Transit Map. via Sean Lucas.
Ricky Gervais, the creator of The Office, has a podcast. via Fred.
20051212
Fort Wayne's DaMarcus Beasely is on USA's World Cup team.
I've been trying to get tickets for 2006 in Germany -- but had no luck in lottery. Best Away Message of '05?
CollegeHumor writer Julie Kraut put up:Winter is kind of like the new girl who transferred in the middle of your junior year. At first she's novel and has cool clothes and slang and everyone's pretty pumped she's there because it's a change. But then, after she hooks up with all of the cool boys and everyone's pants have those gross salt rings around the bottom, you just kind of wish that she'd go back to Minnesota where she came from. via Ricky. I always look at the tissue to see what I sneezed up.
If you're like me, then you don't have real health insurance (I'm covered, but only if I loose 3 appendages in a tractor accident, etc). So when I'm sick, like right now with sinus infection, I'm in a scramble for a doctor who accepts random patients. Fortunately, NYU Hospital has a Doctor Referal Service. You just fill out a form with your questions or symptoms and a nurse will call you back by the end of the day with the name and number of the right doctor to call.
DreamWorks Sale—Why the Dream Didn't Work. via Nathan.
20051209
But perhaps the primary failure at DreamWorks was simply one of will. Of the three founders, only Katzenberg wanted to actually head a studio; now he is, at DreamWorks Animation. Spielberg's first love has always been directing, and he has spent the last year on sets making "War of the Worlds" and "Munich" back to back. And Geffen has always been upfront about his distaste for the movie business. What both men wanted, it seems in retrospect, was the power and freedom of owning a studio, not the burden of running one.
del.icio.us is purchased by Yahoo! Congrats, Joshua.
Korean phone operator SK Telekom is to release an electronic picture frame that will communicate with a phone. via Paul.
I recommend seeing Syriana.
20051208
I just learned that Darren Aronofsky (maker of Pi and Requiem for a Dream) is directing an episode of Lost, which I now watch instead of The OC. EW has more ...
New LED signage in NYC subway cars? Send photos if you've got them.
Bubble 2.0: Built To Be Bought via Matt.
Microsoft launched Live Local with neat bird's eye imagery. Check this out, I live here.
20051207
Bert posted a lineup of 2005-2006 Television Pilots, and then asked "Has Good Television Returned from the Dead, or is it Just a Zombie Here to Eat Our Brains?"
I'm looking for tickets to the Explosions in the Sky show on Dec 11th at Bowery.
20051206
My Wishlist
 Nick posted a great christmas wishlist and it reminded me to make my own. If I could have anything ... An IU hoodie, size small A book about staircases It's time I learned how to build one. Electronic Drum Kit My roommate Jakob produces music with his virtual band, The Nodes, and its inspired me to help. If I could play any instrument, it would be the drums. Snowboard bag For a hopeful trip out West. International Harvester Scout Truck A roll of royal blue Neoprene Needed for an arts and crafts project I'm excited about. Replacement pair of Vans Nikon D200 Camera I'm ready for 10.2 megapixels. Original Lite Brite No explanation necessary, obviously.
According to Nielsen Ratings: Brain Buster Enterprises, our merchandise subsidiary, was once the 10th largest consumer goods advertiser on the Internet this year, only behind companies like Procter & Gamble and The New York Times.
Transmaterial is a blog about new building materials. via Nate.
 Let's go Heli-boarding?
I went ice skating in Central Park with my friends Meg and Mattie yesterday. I kicked myself for not taking my camera with me because the park was idyllic, with the newly fallen snow and all. Then, just now, I remembered that I live in the future. I opened Flickr, searched the tags for Central Park, and found this picture which was taken on a path I took just as I was arriving to the rink (you can see it on the right side of the frame). I probably passed the photographer on my way!
Can you imagine how many more situations like this are going to happen as technology develops? I am so in love.
The building wins!
20051204
Backstory: Thousands of spectators gathered to watch the demolition of the state's tallest building More ...
I am proud to be included in two publications today.
20051201
The News-Sentinel, one of Fort Wayne's two daily papers, profiles me and briefly describes the Fort Wayne Progress Fund, which is my attempt to create a sustainable grant program for young entrepreneurs, artists, and technologists in my hometown. They must have liked the picture I sent them, because they put it on the frontpage. They even mentioned my desire for Indiana to secede from the Union. The Hoosier Republic will hoist its flag in no time at all! How great! Also, JPG Magazine interviewed Youngna and me about the Candy Cane Portraits we took last December. The piece isn't online because the magazine is more like a book ... so, if you like to look at good photos, consider buying a copy to support JPG, which is celebrating its first year in print. Here's a preview of the inside. Labels: Fort Wayne
Flights from NYC to Reykjavik dropped to $300. If you haven't already used your 2 weeks this year, here's your reason to take a vacation.
Will the Colts go undefeated this season? One state may be biased...
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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) |
