Archive for March, 2005

A New Domain

March 22nd, 2005

So, I’ve purchased a new domain for my site.. I never really liked brandonjs.com — I wanted something quirky and catchy. But, because I didn’t really have an idea for a web site name, I definitely didn’t have any ideas for a domain name.

So, now that this is running _fairly_ smoothly, I figure I might as well get a better domain.. a cooler, hipper domain. So.. in the new few days, I’ll have Diatribe.us. Someone is squatting on diatribe.com for some reason and Diatribe.net is a Web site for a Los Angeles playwright group that hasn’t been updated since 2002. Granted, that would’ve been a lot cooler than diatribe.us — but then again, I’m just as cool as del.icio.us, now.

Random Items

March 21st, 2005

So, while poking around on my del.icio.us account, I came across an interesting technology blog. The person mentioned using a Gmail Account (ask me for an invite if you want one), as 1 gig file server.

Apparentely, there’s a shell extension that you can download that will allow you to physically mount your gmail account and drag/drop files into your e-mail account to backup data. It seems like a pretty cool concept, especially for someone like me, who recently lost my .mac account in favor of my new home here at brandonjs.com.

Getting back to my del.icio.us for a second..

I found another cool tool that will allow you to sync your del.icio.us bookmarks with either firefox or safari. Firefox is easy.. you can use the live bookmarks feed when you’re on your site. And then access them through your bookmarks folder. Miss possible (who’s a huge del.icio.us fan), tells me that there’s also a firefox plugin you can download.

MacOSX Hints offers up a great tidbit to allow you to auto-sync your del.icio.us bookmarks and Safari, which even more handy for us mac users.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I did a little cleanup with the blog today as well.. the rail is looking a little better. Now if only I could clean up the bottom chunk. Ugh.

Cookie Monsters

March 21st, 2005

On Friday there was a new report from Jupiter research that says something along the lines of:
10% of Internet users clear their cookies daily.
40% of Internet users clear their cookies monthly.

To that, I think Seth Godin has some interesting insight into that stat.

It has to be nonsense — doesn’t it?

Searching amazon by images

March 18th, 2005

Is this not the coolest thing ever?

Not that I’d use it, but it’s still a pretty cool way of searching the amazon database. It looks cool, but the technology behind it is even cooler.

~LTJ

A well deserved congratulations

March 18th, 2005
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I actually feel pretty embarrased that I haven’t posted this sooner, but I would like to give a huge congratulations to “Ang” & The Captain who got engaged last weekend [right].

Just this past week one of my co-workers got engaged as well. His story is a little different. Instead of dating for 3 years (“Ang” & The Captain), they’ve been dating for a little less than three months. Very funny story, but you can read it here if you’re so inclined.

Miss Possible was so kind as to remind me last night that things like this come in threes, and she’s wondering who will be next (wink and nudge included of course). I had no answer.



~ LTJ

The Greatest day in the world

March 17th, 2005

When you think of all of the most bizarre things you can see while walking to the elevator on a Thursday morning in March, you’d never expect to see the Red Sox trophy. Let me repeat that. THE World Series Trophy.

It all started when I was looking for the finance manager to ask a question about one of our recent Insertion Orders. While walking to the elevator I saw Jeff, one of our sales reps in the Cars department, holding the Silver Icon. I was able to get a picture of one of my co-workers with the Trophy, and was then asked if I wanted to hold it.

Imagine. Me. Holding the exact same trophy that has been carted around by my beloved Red Sox, across the country. Jeff was kind enough to take a picture of me with it, that will be posted as soon as I get it (believe me)!

His father is one of the head groundskeepers at Fenway. And I guess his father already had his day with the trophy, so they had asked him if he wanted another day with it. He gave it to his son, to show to some of his clients and co-workers. Insane.

What I think is funny is that because The Globe is a co-owner (NY Times) of the Boston Red Sox, the Trophy was on display at the Globe for one day a few weeks back. But the time actually had to be cut short for some reason. It was supposed to be on display for the entire day, and it was only there for about an hour and a half or so.

Very strange. Rumor has it, that it’s making its way back to Boston.com on 4/1 for our Staff Meeting, but I’ll see that when I believe it. It IS April Fool’s day and all.

Anyway, I still can’t believe how dirty and worn the trophy was. The bottom felt as though it was falling off, and the wear it has taken over the last 5 months that it was very tarnished and finger printed. I felt somewhat dirty all day, thinking of the number of people that have held that amazing piece of silver.

Well, this really made my day. I don’t know how it could have gotten any better, even. I was glowing.

~LTJ

Another Horoscope Day

March 16th, 2005

Every morning I think about topics to write about… and I usually come up with a few, only to not have enough time during the day to actually spout off on the topic.. So, don’t think that I’m dodging the Blog because I have nothing to say. I truly do. It’s just that I don’t have the time to put the words to the keyboard and jot them down.

Anyway, here’s my horoscope.. my last Horoscope posting caused so much stir, I figured why not post another one, right?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): So begins the Potent Dreaming phase of the
year for you, Taurus. In the coming weeks, the adventures you have while
you sleep will be far more interesting than any movie you could see in a
theater. Some of your dreams may be the nighttime equivalent of wild
goose chases and shaggy dog stories, with no discernible plots or
meaning. But the revelations you receive in others could change your life
forever with useful lessons and brilliant insights. To help you remember
these spiritual gifts from your subconscious mind, please keep a pen and
notebook near your bed.

VERY interesting.. I’ve had some crazy dreams this past week.. none of them I can remmeber now, but it does seem like a fun horoscope. For a while I was writing down dreams every night.. saying “I will remember my dreams, I will remember my dreams, I will remember my dreams..” as I drifted off to sleep. It works, trust me. Also, the more you think about your dreams and write them down, the more you remember. IT got to the point where I was having 3-4 dreams a night and I’d remember the details of all of em.

It got a little overwhelming though. All this stuff was going on at night, and I prefered to just let my dreams be, so I could get a good night sleep without all the action.

Maybe this is a sign I should start doing htis again (or at least for this week) to try to see what my subconcious mind is telling me..

~ LTJ

>> More Horoscopes Listed on the next page.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Many supposedly scientific debunkers deride
astrology but have done almost no research on the subject. That’s one
reason why these ill-informed “skeptics” spread so many ignorant lies. For
instance, they say that astrologers think the stars and planets emit
invisible beams that affect people’s lives. The truth is, most astrologers
don’t believe any such thing. Is there any way in which you engage in
behavior similar to the lazy debunkers, Aries? What subjects do you speak
about with authority even though you really don’t know much about
them? Do you ever spout opinions about situations you’ve never
experienced first-hand? Do you pass judgment on ideas you’ve never
studied and people you’ve never spent time with? We all do these things–
I confess to being guilty of it myself–but this is your special time to make
amends.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): So begins the Potent Dreaming phase of the
year for you, Taurus. In the coming weeks, the adventures you have while
you sleep will be far more interesting than any movie you could see in a
theater. Some of your dreams may be the nighttime equivalent of wild
goose chases and shaggy dog stories, with no discernible plots or
meaning. But the revelations you receive in others could change your life
forever with useful lessons and brilliant insights. To help you remember
these spiritual gifts from your subconscious mind, please keep a pen and
notebook near your bed.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You can, of course, choose to ignore the
invitations that life will offer you in the coming weeks. Having free will
means you can always refuse to go with the cosmic flow. But if you
*would* like to weave the threads of a higher destiny into the fabric of
your humdrum routine, you should meditate on how you can be more of a
leader. Are there ways you could energize a group or organization you’re
part of? Are you ready to seize the initiative in one of your close
relationships, shepherding it into a new era? Are you willing to summon
the courage to rise above the hypnotic numbness of the daily grind,
stretching your imagination to see the big picture?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “All human beings should try to learn what
they are running from, and to, and why,” said James Thurber. Judging
from the astrological omens, Cancerian, I think this is the perfect time for
you to take his advice very seriously. You’re in position to see things that
are normally invisible to you, including secrets you hide from yourself and
truths you have studiously avoided knowing. Maybe you don’t think
you’re telepathic, but I assure you that right now you at least have the
power to read your own deep and mysterious mind.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In her memoir, *Lipstick Jihad,* Azadeh Moaveni
describes life in Iran under the crushing oppression of its fundamentalist
rulers. She says young people pursue an “‘as if’ lifestyle,” pretending it’s
permitted “to hold hands on the street, blast music at parties, speak your
mind, challenge authority, take your drug of choice, wear too much
lipstick.” It’s a strenuous game, requiring intricate strategies to
circumvent the many prohibitions enforced by the morality police. I
suggest that you take your cue from these covert freedom fighters, Leo.
Start by identifying the big NO that constantly casts a shadow over your
life. Does it come from voices inside your head or from external
authorities? Live as if you were free to be yourself completely, without
having to answer to your personal version of Iran’s dour mullahs.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “You can’t depend on your judgment,” said
Mark Twain, “when your imagination is out of focus.” And since your
imagination is more than a little fuzzy and aimless right now, Virgo, I
recommend that you postpone decisions that would require you to have
acute judgment. On the other hand, don’t get twisted out of shape about
it. It’s not a big problem. All you have to do to sharpen up your
imagination is expose it in a concentrated way to some great works of art
or music or literature.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Some journalists have been expressing pious
outrage about baseball players who may have enhanced their physical
abilities with steroids. Next maybe they will turn their attention to
computer pioneers whose revolutionary innovations in the ’70s and ’80s
were spurred by their ingestion of psychedelic drugs; and musicians,
writers, filmmakers, and actors whose creativity is primed by dope and
booze; and politicians like the first President George Bush, who regularly
took Halcion, a sleeping pill with side effects like amnesia, anxiety attacks,
and paranoia; and the millions of average people who make life-changing
decisions while in the grip of psychotropics like Prozac or that powerful
drug, caffeine. What’s your performance-enhancing, mind-altering
substance of choice, Libra? Whatever it is, this is the week you should
fully acknowledge its impact on your destiny. Celebrate its gifts and
analyze its downsides.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): It’s a good time for you to think about your
relationship to human beings who haven’t been born yet. Is there
anything you can do to be more conscious about making your life a gift to
the future? What might you create that would enhance the destinies of
our descendants? How can you conduct yourself so that you will not only
help preserve the wonders we live amidst, but actually enhance them? As
you ponder your possible contributions–and maybe also take practical
action to deepen your commitment to them–keep in mind this thought
from Lewis Carroll: “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works
backward.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The transition you’ll soon be going
through should be exceptionally dramatic and fun, if a bit abrupt. You’ll be
evolving from a slow, sleepy meander to a savvy, scintillating bolt. As you
finish getting your psychic batteries recharged, you’ll accelerate quickly
and be in sleek, fast motion before you know what’s happening. Bid
goodbye to your sabbatical, Sagittarius; say “yow” to the brilliant, bracing
adventure.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): March 18 is Awkward Moments Day. It was
created by the authors of the book, *Awkward Moments: Celebrating the
Humor in Life’s Uncomfortable Situations.* They tout the value of
harnessing opportunities that open up when you or someone else does
something embarrassing, clumsy, or clueless. I suggest you try exactly
what they recommend, Capricorn. More than any other sign of the zodiac,
you now have the potential to take maximum advantage of everything
that’s dicey, thorny, and ticklish.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A recent poll revealed that more and more
people are enjoying oral sex. In the last three years alone, the percentage
has increased from 74 to 79 percent. For members of the Aquarian tribe,
that figure is likely to zoom precipitously upward in the coming weeks, as
will the sheer number of erotic encounters involving the lips and tongue.
In fact, *all* activities involving pleasure with the mouth are likely to lead
to success and happiness, including (but not limited to) gourmet eating,
loud singing, and wild talking. For extra credit, try combining two
activities: gourmet eating and wild talking, for instance, or singing and
oral sex.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Please read my Cancer horoscope this week.
There I’ve quoted an interesting observation by the writer James Thurber,
then added some related ideas of my own. In a sense, I’ve collaborated
with Thurber. I’ve blended my mind with his, and together we have come
up with counsel that includes both of our thoughts but offers wisdom
that’s more than the sum of its parts. I suggest that you use this
strategy in the coming week, Pisces. Choose people whose lives or work
you admire, and work together to create synergies that draw on both
their genius and yours.