Things I didn't do this weekend

I could have done lots this weekend, but I didn't - so here's the list of stuff I didn't do (as a way of saying sorry for not posting much of anything for a while - it's a general busy/laziness thing, rather than singling out the blog readers in my life)......


Put in an order for a new BMW bike (although they do look bloody marvelous)
Watch the racing at Pikes Peak
Join the girls at HPR for a little track time followed by massages, champers and chocolate!?!?!
Watch England destroy the Aussies in the Ashes (how could I not mention that)

Kogi BBQ - Social Marketing Done Right

late night street life-42, originally uploaded by kogibbq.

Apart from the fact that I got very (very) hungry looking at these photos, I found Fred's article on how they're marketing themselves over in LA to be pretty interesting. It's definitely work building a brand and getting your name out, but with a bit of hard work and ingenuity, it can happen so much quicker (and cheaper) than in the pre-internet days.

Christmas Drinking

Every now and again, I've been known to have the occasional tipple over the holidays. These days it kinda pales into insignificance compared to the 3 or 4 week benders during the 16 to 30 period of my life (the all day Christmas Eve Newcastle/Whitley combinations were always special), but a decent couple of sessions are still squeezed in there. Luckily for me, the BBC has put up this helpful site to work out how many pies/pastys/cakes you could have had for the calories instead of the drinks. Personally, it's never been an either/or thing for me - I think everyone should use this site to work out exactly how much they have to consume the morning after in order to alleviate the hangover. Now there's a challenge that's worth taking.

Things I Learned In England

The last couple of weeks are a bit of a blur, with lots of fun stuff fitted in, and I definitely learned a lot. Here's some of the things from the past 2 weeks

• Nothing can beat fish and chips. And buying them from a chippie next to the sea is something I took for granted for 25+ years.
• Parking spots in England are too small (or my parking skills are crap after 11 years of parking in US car parks). Of course, this provides untold entertainment for my brothers.
• The UK seems a lot smaller after living over here for so long. A trip down to Birmingham for the day never really seemed like a long way (and it was well worth it to see Jeremy and the boys)
• Going out with your lifelong friends always feels like you only saw them last week after about 2 minutes. It's a great feeling that you appreciate even more when you didn't see them last week (or last year for some of them).
• Karting is fun on both sides of the Atlantic (and I'm going to try and lose a few pounds by my next trip over so I at least have a shot at beating my kid brother)
• House prices are way out of control over there, especially in London (even though they're down from their highs). Not sure how anyone actually affords to live to be honest.
  
• Ella's too cute for words, and she gives the best hugs.
• Working remote for a week = massive improvements in productivity. But more than a week, and I think I'd go stir crazy
• iPhone without data = realization that the iPhone is really a little computer, rather than just a phone (and technically I could have turned on the data roaming, but I was a little scared I'd have a bill for a couple of grand when I got back, so was pretty good about using wifi only, apart from the times I got lost)
  
• I laugh a lot more in England. Not sure if it's coz I'm on holiday, coz my brothers are too funny not too, or if I'm just more relaxed generally over there, but I notice I end up with tears streaming down my face at least 3 times a trip.
  
• The Trafalgar Hilton is our new favourite London hotel - friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, great bar, and decent rooms. We'll definitely be back here.
• Center Parcs is a great place to go for a break in the UK, especially with kids (and kids at heart). And I forgot how much fun slides in swimming pools where (and how disappointing wave machines are)
• Tynemouth still gets great surf (I even considered renting a board and wetsuit to get in one day, but then remembered how cold the water would be, how out of shape I actually am and that I haven't actually surfed in way too long).
  
• Exchange rates are better now than they have been in a good few years.
  

All told, it was a great couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone who made it a blast, and for coming out to various bars and restaurants to meet up for a couple of hours here and there.

Quick List

As always happens, I end up saving a load of stuff to post, and then having such a large backlog that it never gets posted. So, the quick link version of a post..... Click at your peril

Giant spider attacking Liverpool? (I'm just surprised it hasn't been nicked yet ;-)

6.1lb Carbon Fiber Wheels? Yes please..

A cool caravan, if that's even possible (and the inside definitely looks better than the outside)

Wish I was there (actually wish the helicopter crash hadn't actually happened...)

My favorite car of the week (but the wife is _never_ going to let this sit in the driveway)

Golf course on the roof?

DIY Photoshopping made just for me

BMW, I love you, but sometimes you break my heart

It's fast, and furious, and Vin is finally back

Please come here (and without a doubt, winner of the best pedals in the world)

The big sneeze

Best keg design yet

And if you got through all that, congratulations, pour yourself a drink....

Dinner Napkins

As the wife can attest, I have an incredible ability to share my food evenly between my mouth and my shirt. Luckily, people invented napkins, and not only do these ones make you look (more) respectable, it takes away some of that self consciousness around sticking a bit of paper in your collar when your eating. Or maybe not.

Confession Time

I think I'm addicted to Dooce. I think it may have had an influence in my recent camera purchase. I know I check out the new pages pretty much every day. Maybe it's coz of the complete honesty that comes through with each post (like this one). I don't know. But you should try it if you haven't already.

One day when I decide to make this site look prettier again, and I'm prepared for the drop off in links I've been getting from the Google Gods, I'm going to add this to a Blogs I Read section somewhere. But that could be a long time off.

Sometimes

The smallest things are the most frustrating. Our humidifier (of the super silent kind) decided not to work at the start of the week, so Heidi went out to get a new one. Last night was the first night of use, and of course, the new one isn't quite as super-silent as the last. Cue 4am, wide awake, gurgling noises and one pissed off person. Still, getting into the office at 6 should help me actually get some work done today, given I feel like I've sat in meetings for the last 72 hours straight.

This weekend might be a little interesting - Heidi's brother invited us to some event where they tell you how to be millionaires or something. I'm actually pretty interested to see what these things are like, and if there's anything that's relatable to the world I live in, and what their target market is etc. The schedule says 9am until 11pm, and to come well rested, but unless I go out shopping for a new humidifier, that isn't happening. I wonder if they'll kick me out if I have a quick 40 winks at the back. Anyway, I'll stick it out for as long as I can - Brent says they're "fun" events, rather than just listening to people speak all day, so I have no idea what that could entail. At least it's downtown in the Convention Center, so technically I'm only a brief stroll away from Fado's if things turn ugly. Wish me luck.

Catch Up Post

Apparently I have a never ending list of stuff to post on here, and despite the frantic typing of the last hour, there's no way I'd get through it all. So, here's a list of links to keep you entertained, if you so wish. This message comes with no warranty, implied or otherwise, so you're out of luck if the clicks are of the non-satisfying variety....

A fashion phone that actually looks like it's worth a try

The worst car accessory ever (apart from the furry dice, obviously)

More Sony Ericsson phones that promise to take decent pics

(Especially for those in England who live in fear of an iPod mugging), the best deterrent available
My next home theater system (in my dreams, obviously)

The only way I'll ever own a DB6

Greasy hands? Here's your solution

If I ever see you with one of these, we're fighting immediately

If you think you need this, maybe you need to re-evaluate your life (or job)

The best USB toy I've seen so far (and it reacts to your typing)

What's been going on?

Not too much to be perfectly honest. It appears that a large percentage of the women of child bearing age in our company all got together and planned a synchronized pregnancy, we got to spend the whole day with Holly and Meaghan yesterday, followed by dinner at North with the usual suspects, and we've been on a bit of a shopping blowout for the new year - I got my first new snowboard since I got here in 1997, and we ordered Heidi's new car - delivery won't be for a couple of months though (on the car, the snowboard is in my possession). I might even try and take a day off work next week to rendezvous with the wife in the mountains to see if I can actually snowboard on something that isn't going to restrict my speed to 5 miles an hour. Accidents are expected.....

What? No Posts?

I could list the usual excuses, but I'll leave that for another time. At least it's not me on the road this week(unless you call a day trip up to Fort Collins to grill some Uni students as to why they want a real job as being on the road), so I'm thankful for some things.

I think the most notable thing this week has to be the resurgence of Nixta - it appears the ease of use of Tumblr has sent him into a posting frenzy, which more than makes up for my lack of posts, so check it out. He's bound to slow down, get pissed off or lazy soon, so you better be quick ;-)

Also in the news this week was the emergence from "stealth mode" of Mr Batty's latest creation whereyougonnabe.com - initial demos got very positive reviews, so I'm waiting for my Alpha or Beta testing status to be confirmed (I begged, but wasn't promised a thing). Unfortunately, being on my own this week meant I had to stay home Tuesday night, so I missed the whole thing, so sorry Pete. It even won the exit poll (see, you just can't get away from election fever over here).

And Happy Birthday Ella (although technically it's tomorrow, the 7 hours difference make this perfectly on time). I'll give you a call later on! 8-)

Catch Up

So I've got half an hour before the official first game in the return of Kevin Keegan to Newcastle, and I have to say I'm pretty excited. Of course, it could all end up horribly wrong, but at least now we know we'll go down fighting, the crowd will be behind the team, and we might actually play some football on the ground for a change. I was a little hesitant (and shocked) when the announcement was first made, but having received more txts and calls in the last 4 days from Newcastle than I have at pretty much anytime since I got out here, I can tell the town is buzzing once again. It should be a good night for a couple of beers on the Quayside (or taking in the UFC fight that's happening over there).

On whether or not Shearer should join KK as a no 2 or coach or whatever, to be honest, I don't think I care. I heard on the grapevine the two of them don't really get on, but no idea if that's true or not. I think it would probably be better if Shearer waited for a bit, enjoyed his time on Match of the Day, finished all his coaching badges and then had another look in 2 years or so. But, they're both their own men, and pretty determined, so I'm sure they'll sort it out amongst themselves, and ultimately do what is best for the club.

So, lots of stuff going on the last couple of weeks, and I've struggled to keep up with a pretty hectic work schedule, so I thought I'd try and get a whole list of stuff off the backlog in one easy post.

Mac fever reaches the living room

My next chair

HD fights back with $129 player and 7 free disks

Some car websites lost a lot of visitors last year

The GT-R race car looks a little special, even in orange

The new M3 is going to cost less than $60k

And there's pics of the M3 Convertible floating around

The worst gadgets from CES

If you need some cooking guidance from the web

Hugh Laurie makes the top 10 of favorite US personalities !?

Geotag your photos on the cheap(ish)

Movies with the most F-words (I want to know who sat through and counted...)

And finally for now, eggs any way you like them....

Continuing the slightly bad taste theme for today

The gas grabber - who thinks of this stuff?

Boobs are good

Especially when they can save your life. The best lifejacket concept I've ever seen....

Differences between US and Europe

Lots of people ask me what are the big differences between the different sides of the Atlantic. One of the big differences are the adverts - I always enjoy going home and seeing what's on TV - some of them are pretty obscure, but then there's others that are just like mini comedy series. There's also some significant cultural differences is what's considered "safe" for public consumption. Can you imagine the ad on the left ever being posted on a billboard out here in the States? I think not.

Trying Out Tumblr

Not sure if I'll stick with it for now, but Tumblr makes it nice and easy to quickly post stuff up on a site (kinda like a super quick blog). Anyway, giving it a try here (and I managed to get the feed from this site integrated), but unless I whip out the (lack of) code skills again to make it look prettier, I'm not sure I'll use it on an ongoing basis. Rumour is that you can add in your Twitter posts, and maybe even your last.fm playlists or something, so there's still some hope if any of that is possible.

Out of touch

Had to head back to England at the last minute to deal with some pretty sad family stuff, so no posts for the last few weeks. Finally made it back to the US on Monday after what can only be described as "an epic" on United, which I'll write about in a bit when I calm down and have a little more time.

So, sorry for the lack of posts - it will probably continue for the next few days without any valid excuses apart from work catchup stuff, but you never know - I might plug the laptop in when I get home one night.

Catchup Posts

Loads of stuff over the last few weeks that I meant to post, and never quite got around to it, so here's a quick list of links for some of it. One day I will actually keep up on all this stuff....

Too scary to use bathrooms?

Party War Machine

The best wine decanter I've ever seen (but way too expensive)

The futuristic backpack, available in a school yard today

The only router I've ever seen that you don't want to hide behind something

My TV Fantasy

Scary Origami (I'm not getting in there)

If you need a speaker for your shuffle

And finally, a little car especially for the wife.

Get fit(ter) update

Starting from a place where there's plenty of opportunity for improvement means the first couple of weeks have been a success (despite the illness, a visit to PF Changes and a delightful carrot cake from the Cheesecake Factory). So, blood pressure back down to acceptable levels (prompting the doctor to say "wow, you've done really well", I'm under 200 pounds for the first time in about 3 years, and I even managed to pump up the tires on the bike that's been sitting in the garage since I moved in and take it out for a ride.

So, new targets - 180 by Thanksgiving (the day before anyway, so if I need to stuff myself on turkey I won't feel so guilty), and getting my body fat percentage down another 5 to 8%. I've written it down - it has to happen now.

Apparently Today is Special

It's Blog Day. I wasn't really sure what it was all about until I read Tara's site, so now I know, I have to recommend 5 blogs for you to read - I think I was meant to let the blogs know in advance or something, but as I'm late to the party, I guess that's going to be missed. And it's meant to be new stuff that I probably haven't linked to before, which rules out the usual crew of suspects...

OK - so here goes (a very random sample of stuff that I occasionally get a chance to read)

• I Quit for LIJIT - I guess it's only fair as I found out about this whole deal coz I was hoping to catch her usual Friday interview with one of the staff. I've never met Tara, but she works for Lijit that develops the search widget over on the left. And they're based just up the road in Boulder, so I'm all for supporting the local tech industry.
  
• Blog.Pmarca.Com - Marc Andreessen's blog - very smart, very opinionated, and despite only entering the blogging world a few months ago, has amassed enough posts to keep you reading for a long time. Oh, and he does startup stuff.
  
• Feld Thoughts - Back to local stuff (well, Boulder again), Brad Feld writes about lots of different stuff, but mainly life in the Venture Capital world. The fact that he manages to invest in some of the (what I personally think are) cooler internet companies make it a pretty cool place to stop by on your travels.
  
• Gotham Gal - if you ever need a decent recipe, or are struggling to find somewhere nice to eat in NYC (mainly), you can always count on Gotham Gal for some recommendations (and her recipe posts make me way too hungry given my current starvations/eat mainly salads approach to life). In between the food, there's lots of decent life stuff as well, and she writes in a completely honest and open way that you kinda feel like you're following along with her life.
  
• Perez Hilton - I debated alot about the last one - so many choices, and only one space, but one thing that is sure to brighten up a tough day at the office is the latest celebrity gossip. Plus, he sealed the deal with the extra little white bits he puts on the photo's - sometimes annoying, mostly darn funny.
  

That's my duty done - hope you enjoy. I really should update my links section over on the left one of these days - now that Google owns Blogger, wouldn't it be cool if you could just auto-import your feeds from Google Reader as your Blog Roll on your site?