Television is Coming Back
Many of you know how much I enjoy television. So much so that the recent writers strike left me with quite a few gaps in my usually calm evenings spent in front of the tube. Granted, it was a much needed and appreciated break, but I am glad the strike is finally over. TV Guide has recently published, and continues to update, what they know about the upcoming schedule of shows and their expected arrival date and remaining episodes. It’s a site that I have been to quite a few times to see what else they know or any changes that might have taken place in the recent weeks. I have been surprised at the number of recently new shows that are TBD. Espically a lot of these new pilots that were just recently launched before the strike. Seem like Television is going to have the change the way they do sweeps weeks and the way that they launch and promote their best shows in an effort to garner the best advertisers.
I am pleased thought that a few shows are rolling are. LOST has been rolling for the past few weeks and I have to admit, that it’s something I have truly enjoyed on Thursday nights. Actually, it’s something that I don’t miss. Even if it’s set to record, no matter what I time I make it home, I make time to watch it. I kinda have to though too, since I am sheepishly apart of an e-mail group (mostly made up of friends) who weekly comment on the episode, heavily on Friday’s, about theories, thoughts, reflections, and the direction of the show.
I’m keeping on eve on TV guide, cause something inside of my just keeps hoping that 24 will actually come on before January 2009.
It’s That Time Again
You’re in the right spot if you were looking for Twistedsideways. It’s that time again where I get bored with the style and layout of my blog and give it a face lift. I haven’t really been digging my previous blog format for awhile and I have been looking for some new themes and ideas to to give this one a face lift. I’m really diggin’ warm colors these day and I feel like this one fits well into where I am in a color palette these days.
Wedding Venture
So I recently had the opportunity to help a friend here in Austin with a web project that she and her man to be were trying to put together for their upcoming wedding. Becky designed a website (which is fantastic) that showcases many of the amazing pictures that their wedding photographer took here in Austin and created a honeymoon registry where their friends and family can purchase a portion of their honeymoon. I had the opportunity to develop the site and do the design on the database that functions the registry portion of their site. All of us, Becky, Matt, and myself had such a fun time seeing the site come together and our ideas and hard work finally pay off. You should check it out at www.mattandbeckycampbell.com
I hope that this little website is a huge hit for them and that their friends and family will find this an enjoyable way to know what is going on in their lives and everything leading up to the wedding.
Democratic Debate
So the Democratic presidential debate is scheduled to be at UT today. I have to say, it’s one of the first times that I wish I could be at a debate. I learned of the debate being hosted at UT just the other day when talking with a friend. I have to be honest, I haven’t been keeping up with everything going on as much I would like to. Here is the article that was posted on KVUE about the event.
The University of Texas announced on its website Wednesday that the Democratic presidential candidate debate between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will take place at the Recreational Sports Center, but officials told KVUE News the event would be by invitation only.
The debate is scheduled for Thursday February 21 from 7-8:30 p.m. The Recreational Sports Center is located between the School of Social Work and Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletics Center.
UT officials say admission for students and the public will be by invitation only because of security restrictions.
Clinton and Obama are each wooing Texas voters ahead of the March 4 primary.
The University Democrats are hosting the event, presented by the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the LBJ Library, CNN and Univision.
Computer Woes
Oh man! For those of you in the design and web development world, you realize the importance of a stable work environment. And for that matter, almost everything we do on our computers these days requires a good stable environment. As for me, I have been having some trouble with my computer for a few months now. Yesterday, it all came to an end. Something terribly wrong has gone on with my computer.
I thought at one point, it was a bad hard drive. Now, after new hard drive and trying to install Windows six times last night, I reazlied that it has to be something else. I think it’s either the motherboard or something else that is causing the entire system to malfunction. And it’s coming at one of the worst times ever. We are slammed with work, both my side business and my full time job, and a lot of paperwork and accounting stuff to catch back up on.
I have to get this fixed soon. Oh and did I mention that I don’t really have the fundage to get a new one right now! Sweet!
Whoops, Trouble
So I have gotten in trouble with a few people the past few days. It seems as though that my lack of posting to the blog has caused some concerns that I have completely left the blog world. I need to offically announce that this is not the case. It’s really been a case of being in a funk for the blogging and the fact that time hasn’t simply gone by. I myself was a little surprised to see that I hadn’t posted since December 17th, 2007. Now, two months later, here I am again. Although not posting any kind of real content here, a post none the less.
Things have been going on in my life, just haven’t been around to post. I promise that I will post more content in the coming days and weeks. I’ll get back into.
Christmas Shopping
I called one of my brothers last night and realized that neither one of us has begun our Christmas shopping. Typical for most guys I hear. And honestly, I can’t believe it hasn’t crossed my mind yet. I don’t even know what to get my parents. My brothers and I decided that we would forgo getting each other anything this year so we don’t have to worry about that. The past few years it’s really been a gift card exchange. We never really know what to get each other so we just end up grabbing a gift card to a place or two where we know the other one shops. Who else has yet to start their shopping?
Looking for Sushi
I’m thinking of throwing a sushi party with a twist and I have no idea where to start. I’m looking to hire a sushi chef to come to my house during the ordeal and basically make the sushi in front of the guests while we are all there. You know, invite a few close friends over and have him or her make some good rolls, fresh and in person. But I have no idea how to even find someone that does it for a living. I started asking around at HEB and stuff and have a contact there that is going to ask around for me. Anyone else have any good ideas of where I might look? I just don’t want some chump or even myself to be making sushi for guests during the party. I think it would add a nice flair to the party!
Aqua Dots Recall
After a year chock-full of toy recalls for lead paint, small chokeable parts, and intestine-twisting magnets, parents may have thought the worst was behind them. Well, guess again. Last week brought the weirdest — and definitely the creepiest — recall with the highly publicized Aqua Dots situation. If swallowed by children, the popular toy beads can cause symptoms including coma, seizures, unconsciousness, drowsiness, and death. According to scientists, the chemical coating on the beads can convert into the drug GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate, known as the “date rape” drug) when ingested.
Aqua Dots were expected to be a big hit this holiday season. Wal-Mart, in fact, had named the craft toy as one of its top 12 picks for the season. A toy association in Australia had named the toy (called Bindeez there) the top toy of the year. Children use Aqua Beads to make creations using small beads in a variety of designs that are then sprayed with water to set. The products are distributed in North America by Spin Master Ltd., based in Toronto. Many stores including Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, and Amazon.com have already removed the product from their Web sites and shelves.
Australian company Moose Enterprises had outsourced the manufacturing of the dots to a mainland Chinese factory. In a still unexplained manufacturing snafu, the factory was supposed to use a safe non-toxic glue on the beads, but instead apparently substituted a harmful chemical that is less expensive. Why does this sound depressingly familiar? China has halted the export of the beads pending further investigation.
A dozen children in the US and Australia have become gravely ill after ingesting some of the dots. A doctor in Sydney made the connection between a child’s symptoms and the toy beads. The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall last Thursday for more than 4 million of the Aqua Dots distributed in North America. The beads, which look remarkably like small candies, may have been a likely hazard before the added chemical problem, according to Salon’s Machinist blog.
This Boston writer thinks that the whole recall may be a big hoax. If only that were the case. I’m afraid this one is looking all too real.
I’ll Drink to That!
Interesting Article I found at work today. When gas prices continue to rise, where do our thoughts about this really fall?
Forbes would have us believe that $100 a barrel oil is a good thing, because it will encourage the development of synthetic oil from coal via a process that was too expensive to commercially develop in a time when crude oil was both abundant and much cheaper. $100 a barrel oil makes synthetic oil produced from coal (such as by Sasol) a profitable alternative and a cleaner way to harness America’s vast and dirty carbon-rich resource. Cheers!
A rising oil price lifts all rigs. In the late 1990s when, partly due to an economic downturn in Asia, demand for oil was less than supply, oil traded for $12-$15 dollars a barrel. During this time you could drive across West Texas (for less than $1.50 a gallon) and see hundreds of idle oil rigs dotting the Permian Basin, seemingly dinosaurs of a bygone oil boom. But they were not the skeletons of a dead industry, merely dormant machines. The oil remained beneath the ground because the cost of operating the rigs for the small amount of oil produced by many of these drilling rigs was prohibitive. But with oil prices moving past $50 and $60 dollars a barrel in the past few months and now heading to $100 a barrel, many of those skeletons have shaken to life and are again producing oil at a profit. Hooray!
$100 a barrel oil encourages not only the small or mature fields with marginal amounts of oil and gas to start pumping again, it also spurs on the producers of unconventional and often difficult oil plays, such as the miners of the vast oil sand deposits of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (such as Syncrude and Suncor Energy), the oil firms that focus on shales and tight sands (such as Aurora Oil & Gas and Vermilion Energy Trust), and the coalbed methane players (such as Quest Resource and Windsor Energy Resources). Splendid!
What else can we toast?
- Higher gas prices might push
US automakers to make more efficient engines, to match the CAFE standards of Europe and China. Great! - $100 oil might have consumers banish gas guzzling SUVs to the luxury market and see the resurgence of smart cars, bicycles, and public transportation. Spiffy!
- $100 oil might push governments and private businesses to invest more heavily in alternative energy development such as wind, solar, and biomass. Happy Days!
The potential hangover?
Lest we get too carried away with our toasts, a sober assessment is needed.
- $100 oil might mean US car drivers paying more than $5 a gallon at the gas pump. Ouch!
- $100 oil could mean US home owners paying really, really expensive heating oil prices during the winter. Brrrr!
- $100 oil will mean that cruel and despotic regimes the world over that sit on vast oil and gas reserves (such Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela) have plenty of money flowing into their coffers, propping up their governments, and making their leaders wealthy. Bummer!
Conclusion:
I’m going to stick with the (drinking) upside. I live in warm Austin, and I walk in my neighborhood. (I’ll leave the tyrants to the State Department). Maybe, just maybe, a sustained period of $100 a barrel oil prices will push us all to be less oil dependent, and more creative and environmentally thoughtful energy consumers. Cheers!