Would You Wear This Shirt?

I've been meaning to throw this up on the blog ever since I discovered this picture online two weeks ago. After attending the greatest concert of my life (Coldplay 2009, Wells Fargo Arena), I went online to view photos of the event. As I looked at photos of the many 20 to 30 somethings enjoying themselves at the concert, I stumbled upon this gem. Here is a picture of two friends of mine, one of which is my roommate who got his concert tickets from me. Since I gave him the tickets, I don't feel too bad about calling him out on this horrendous shirt. But my opinion doesn't mean much. So what do you think of this shirt? I could be wrong, but I don't think any store should be allowed to sell this thing.

The Future of Email

It's not just the future of email, but really the future of how we communicate and share files online. Google Wave is a new program that's been in the works for a couple of years and was recently demonstrated in front of a few thousand developers. It's Google's hope that these developers will get excited about the possibilities of Wave and build apps and programs that will work off of their system. As with most things Google, this will be a free service to use. I must admit I haven't even watched 25% of this video, but what I did see was very impressive. Take a Look for yourselves.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS LONG. I SUGGEST SKIPPING TO THE 50 MIN MARK. IT GIVES YOU A VERY BRIEF IDEA OF WHAT GOOGLE WAVE IS CAPABLE OF.

The Nation's Capital also the Nation's Fittest?

So I've been on a health kick lately (hard to believe, I know) and I decided to go for a nice jog on one of our local trails in suburban D.C. It was such a beautiful night and a perfect time of day to go running and it seemed everyone agreed with me because dozens of people were out on the trail as well. While I was running, I was reminded of a report on WJFK, a local talk radio station, that Washington D.C. was recently named the fittest city in America. Can that really be? My experience was telling me it was but from what I have witnessed at times I had my doubts.



In my six months of observation, I have noticed a lot of people who dedicate a lot of time to fitness. Be it yoga, running, biking, lifting, etc. it seems a lot of people make time to work out during their day. On the other hand, I have seen a lot of fatties out roaming the streets too. Maybe all the fatties are tourists, I don't know but it seems to me that in order to be the number one fittest city in the nation, I should be seeing a lot more people out there losing some weight.

Some of the factors included: smoking (we've got a lot of them), obesity (see above), eat five servings daily of fruit and vegetables (how do you calculate that) and a number of local resources. The local resources I can see: Washington has tons of parks, miles of trails for jogging and biking, lots of farmer's markets serving fresh food, and lots of doctors as well. Crime was also a determinant and I'm pretty sure our crime record is less than spectacular.

Taking a look at the rest of the list, I see: Twin Cities (#2), Boston (#4), Virginia Beach (#10), Cincinnati (#14), Pittsburgh (#16), Milwaukee (#17), Buffalo (#18), and Baltimore (#19). Are you kidding me? I have been to all of these cities and fit is not a word that I would use with any of them. What do you think? What cities would you put as the most fit?

Hulu Desktop: Throw your DVR's away

Don't throw away that Tivo just yet, but pay close attention to what's happening in the world of Hulu. Hulu is a website that streams TV shows and movies on demand from many national networks such as NBC, Fox and most recently ABC. Hulu makes it possible to view many hit shows that you may have missed when they were initially aired. The site is funded by brief advertisements within the videos which are a fraction of the commercials you'd see when watching the show during it's original air time.

Hopefully this isn't news to you and you've experienced the awesomeness that is Hulu. One thing you probably haven't heard of yet is Hulu Desktop. It's just like going to the website, but much more user friendly and much easier to navigate. Hulu Desktop is available for both Macs and PC's and is essentially an application you can access via the internet that allows users to browse through the many shows and movies Hulu provides. It is even remote friendly with both Mac and PC remotes.

Hulu comes to my rescue whenever I've missed the latest episode of the Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Nip/Tuck, or Rescue Me. There are many other popular titles available on Hulu as well. With the ability to watch all of these previously-aired episodes online, any DVR service you're currently using becomes useless for viewing these programs. However, you may want to hold onto your Tivo for that big Iowa football game you're going to miss due to work.

The Issue with Bread

I hate buying bread. It is such a pain in the ass. I'm not above eating a sandwich for lunch (God knows, we are in a recession) and I am trying to make more of an effort to eat sandwiches. But the problem with eating sandwiches is that when I go to buy bread, IT EXPIRES TWO DAYS LATER!! How the hell are you supposed to accomplish that!? I have had a sandwich every day for the past nine weekdays and its already passed the expiration date! Don't tell me "Why don't you eat more than one sandwich a day?" Screw that. I like my food with some taste. Sandwiches are good but I like to switch it up. Eating a sandwich for lunch and dinner just is not an option.

I can understand a good loaf of bread for feeding a family but what about the bachelors and bachelorettes of this world? It is discrimination! I'm tired of a half loaf of moldy bread. This is a call out to the Wonder Breads, Sara Lees, and Pepperidge Farms of the world. When you are packaging your bread, put half in one package and the other half in another and sell it for half price! Is it that hard?

Rant over.

The Do's and Don'ts of Status Updates

I'm just gonna throw this one out there, Facebook is sweet. If I visit only one website during the day, it's going to be Facebook. It reminds me when my friends' birthdays are and allows me to view photos of their latest adventures. While I truly love Facebook and how it connects me to hundreds of people, there are downsides to this social site. Annoying application invitations, quizzes to find out what kind of animal you would be and most importantly, status updates. Don't get me wrong, status updates can be useful, but there are certain do's and don'ts when it comes to posting a status update.

Do Post
Anything involving a party or an awkward morning after a night of partying
Don't Post
Anything involving how you want to go out but can't/didn't - that is just lame

Do Post
Any throwback songs that you've rediscovered for the second, third or fourth time
Don't Post
How awesome that country concert was. We all know you're lying to yourself and you are actually pissed about getting ripped off.

Do Post
Anything awesome that may have happened to you, such as: Finding $5 in a pair of pants you haven't worn in a month; finally hooking up with that chick you've been working on for weeks; getting two bags of Skittles from the vending machine when you only paid for one.
Don't Post
Negative comments about your day, whining about how bad you have it, or complaining about life in general. If you really have something to complain about, call your mom or your best friend. I guarantee your 200+ "friends" on facebook couldn't care less about your long day at work. Complaining is just unattractive.

Do Post
Any major achievements that you recently accomplished: finishing a marathon; eating a large pizza by yourself; finally hooking up with that chick you've been working on for weeks; beating Super Mario Brothers 3 for the fifth time this week.
Don't Post
Anything dumb you're doing/did that you know people really don't care about. These things include: going for a run (if you put this i will comment on your status with, "it's about time, you could use a long run"); going to work out (my comment, "make sure to do your crunches, you know why"); just went to dinner with the best guy ever! (my comment "Did he get you the Happy Meal this time?")

These are just a few examples. More than anything, I advise you to think twice before posting your next status update or you could be called out via comments from your friends. Also, please comment with the status updates that you've seen that absolutely drive you crazy or make you question why you are facebook friends with that person in the first place.

Turn Off Your Computers?!

I just read an article this morning about the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, telling University of Pennsylvania graduates to turn off technology and look more toward the importance of people. Initially I was a little surprised that the CEO of one of the largest Internet companies is telling graduates to stay away from their computers. Google wouldn't exist without the millions of users who visit their site, use their email service-Gmail, upload photos to Picasa, or access the web via their Android-based smart phone. So why on earth would the CEO of Google tell recent college graduates to turn off technology?


He sees what many of us also see, but choose to ignore. In this crazy world of texting, instant-messaging, facebook chatting and tweeting, we would much rather communicate electronically to the person next to us than to simply turn to them to say, "hey, how's it going?" Personal connections have fallen by the way-side and have been substituted for "poking," tweeting, texting and emails. A friend of mine recently lost her cell phone and is now on week 4 without it. She must be going crazy, right? Actually, she feels a sense of freedom that she hasn't experienced in quite some time. Conversations that took place via text, are now communicated in person or over the phone (yes, she has a land-line phone). While I would be freaking out without my cell phone, she is in no hurry to replace it.

It would be hypocritical for me to tell people to quit emailing and to use their cell phones less - I own two BlackBerry's. What I will suggest though, is to go out and meet new people. Interact with them without checking your texts or emails on your phone. Mail someone a hand-written letter, even though you know a 30-second email would do the trick. Find ways to enhance your personal relationships instead of meaningless electronic communication. It's the personal touches that make you stand out to that professor, business partner or potential employer.