April Fools Day recap

I think April Fools Day should be re-named April Rules Day. This infographic I think makes my point.

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The only way to get lost in pictures

For the most part, I wouldn't call myself “artsy”. After my first (and only) year of architecture school, I realized that I have an engineering mind, rather than an art mind. Even though I'm convinced that I am all-left-brained, I seem to have this emotional connection with some art forms (music & photos). I actually like to look at pictures more than I like to make them. I wouldn't quite call myself a photo connoisseur, more of an enthusiast. I have a ritual that I like to go through every so often: I put on some trance music & stare at hundreds of photos. It sounds so trivial, but it's so much more! You'd be surprised at the emotions that can be triggered with this awesome combination. I'll briefly break it down:
Why trance music?

1. Simply put, trance music doesn't distract. It tunes out the world so you can really look at the pictures as if you had blinders on.
2. It's simple. You're not going to find yourself singing along, possibly looking up the lyrics because you forgot that particular line. Most of the time, there are no words to sing along to.
3. It's energetic. You're not going to find yourself falling asleep or bored. I betcha you'll be tapping your foot before you know it.

Why photography?

1. I enjoy photographs more than any other art-form, aside from music. One simple picture can tell a whole story.
2. It's not a video. Pictures don't have to hold your hand. Video takes your hand & leads you down a path for up to 4hrs! A photograph can tell its story in a measly 2-5 seconds, with the same, or greater impact.
3. High consumption rate. Because of the 2-5 second rule (above), you can experience hundreds of pictures in a matter of a few minutes.

Where can you go to find an endless supply of pictures? There are quite a few sites that have zillions of pics, but I have to say, I prefer Flickr's interface. I especially like their slideshow feature. There's a little bit of up-front work to finding what you like, but it's worth it.
Photo preparation: To do this proper, you should create an account. Take a few days to browse around and find photographers that you like, and add them as a contact. This concludes the prerequisite work.
Music preparation: There are several ways to get good trance music these days. For me, the easiest way is to subscribe to the Trance Around the World podcast on iTunes. There you can download the latest episode for free. (You could also listen live on Trancearoundtheworld.com, but to me, that's too much trouble.) There's minimal talking, and it's 2 hours long -­ plenty of time to get lost in some pictures. A State of Trance is another weekly show that's pretty good. There's also a couple dance/trance internet radio stations that are options, Digitally Imported is an oldy & goody.

So, now go. Put on some music, and look at some awesome pics. It's a great experience.

Soon to be debt free(ish)!

Come this December 2nd, the Nielsens will be debt-free!  Well, for the credit card anyway.  We've been credit card debt-free before, but I actually think it'll stick this time.  We've made some mindset changes that has enabled both Laura & I to stop using the credit card, but use the bank card instead.  We still have a little more to go (some weeks we run out of money - oops!), but for the most part it's working out.  The next step is budgeting.  I have a feeling that is going on the New Year's resolution blog entry; stay tuned.

Really!?!

Craziest person of the day!

Today, I was voted "Craziest person of the day" for June 16, 2008! Woohoo! I owe it all to my neighbors for their attendance of our weekly neighborhood party/get-together kick-off! Thank you all. :)

Morale-O-Meter

Yo Joe! I used to love this show!

YOJOE.COM | Cobra Rattler [Ground Attack Jet]

When I was a child I loved machines. I was ecstatic when my parents bought me this war machine for Christmas one year. Now in my reminiscence, I found it! Click the link above to check out this AWESOME toy.

The Cobra Rattler

Technorati Tags: toys, childhood, GI joe

Audi TT by PPI...

For those of you who like car-porn, click the link. For those that don't, or don't know what it is, let me explain a bit. It's called "porn" because the pics are gorgeous, & for most of us we can't have it.

Why are the pics gorgeous you ask? For this pic, it's the proportioned ground effects, matched with the not-too-overbearing spoiler, and the sweet, black rims to top it off. Machines can be beautiful, and this is a perfect example.


PPI tunes the new Audi TT - Autoblog

Technorati Tags: car-porn, Audi, blog

You can't kill the metal, The metal will live on...

Today I stumbled across Pandora's podcast, this time, about Metal. Although I think the podcast itself is interesting, I don't feel it does Metal justice. They play samples of certain types of sub-genres, usually played by an independent band, to illustrate the particular sub-genre being discussed. The problem with this particular episode is that these samples lack vocals. The group mentions that vocals can, and are usually, play an important part of the music, but they don't play any songs with vocals in the podcast. Like all Pandora's other podcasts, they have many popular music samples on the website to further illustrate the sub-genres. Make sure you go to the page to check out these awesome samples. Or, you could just listen to my Hair Metal station if you want to hear some sweet metal!

Pandora Presents... Types of Metal

Technorati Tags: Pandora, music, netcast

Thanks. No.

Quite possible the best web-service out there today.

Thanks. No.

(via Lifehacker)

Flashmob enter your house for a party? No problem!

I saw this on Lifehacker today. This could be the best $650 you could spend. The do-it-yourself Emergency Party Button. Bad-a$$.


Technorati Tags: DIY, awesome

More on men & cars

I found my new favorite show: Test Drive. This episode does some psychological analysis on why men like cars, & are women attracted to hot cars...

Ooooh, the stick...

A while back, I read a great thread about the benefits of the stick shift vs. the automatic; even the manumatic (those automatic transmissions that claim to allow manual intervention.) Here is a fantastic summation of my feelings exactly.

Punch the throttle and Pandora's Box opens underhood. The tach needle runs for the redline -- pay attention now, because first gear is history, and you'll get acquainted with the rev limiter if you don't shift. Snick that ideally-placed shifter into 2nd and let the rush continue. The Boxer's engine noise is complemented by an audible rush from the turbo as you storm forward. At this point, you're probably cackling like the Joker and gleefully rowing through the gears. It's involving and rewarding, and you silently thank Subaru for giving the car the three-pedal treatment instead of a manumatic deal. The hundredths of a second a fancy-paddle tranny would save you mean nothing to the dude in the Mustang you surprised four lights ago.

Despite current internet radio woes, Pandora.com rocks even harder

Yesterday I was having a good music day. You know, it's kind of like a good hair day, except with music. Anyway, I was listening to Pandora & it was just one awesome song after another. I decided to send Pandora's team an email. It may be a little over-the-top, but I was happy. :)

To my friends at Pandora & the Music Gnome Project,

I have to say, I haven't felt this way for an internet radio station since the days before CARP. You guys are really making my day. :)

I've been using Pandora since I first saw it on digg about a year ago. I have to honestly say that Pandora has been my sole avenue for the discovery of new music. I listen to other stations, but I keep coming back to Pandora. Nobody else can put
together a mix like you guys. And, recently I've noticed there have been a bunch of additions to my Dance channel! I'm glad to see that you guys are still chugging away even with the SoundExchange thing looming overhead (even with the temporary reprieve, I don't feel this is a solution). Thank you. Your efforts are much appreciated.

I need to say that because of Pandora I have purchased many more CDs that I would have without it.

Thanks again, for all your efforts. Keep up the good work.

Mark Nielsen

This was there response:

Hello Mark!

Awesome! We are so happy you are enjoying Pandora. I must admit; I think it's great too!

Our mission is to connect people with music they will love. It's wonderful to hear that we have succeeded with you.

How would you like a complimentary t-shirt or cap? Just reply with:

* Name
* Mailing Address
* Preference (Shirt, Cap)
* Shirt size

and we'll send one right out.

Enjoy the music!

Best regards,


Maggie @ Pandora

I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Thanks Pandora you guys are the tops.