Monthly Archive for August, 2008

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T-Shirt Tuesday featuring “The Communist Party”

Published on August 12, 2008 in T-Shirt Tuesday. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
My T-Shirt Collection, aka My Closet

My T-Shirt Collection, aka My Closet

T-shirts make a statement.  Sometimes this statement goes far beyond fashion and brand.  I collect t-shirts that make interesting, amusing, or inspiring statements.  My closet (see pic) is full of my collection.  Collecting t-shirts is more fun than collecting anything else because every time I leave the house I have an opportunity to share pieces from the collection.

Starting this week I will be posting a weekly column I am calling T-shirt Tuesday. T-shirt Tuesday will be my  opportunity to share some of the week’s news about my addiction hobby.  Each week, I will also write about a shirt from my collection, explaining why I like it and what it means to me.  I decided Tuesday for a few reasons but mainly because “T-Shirt Tuesday” sounds better than “T-Shirt Friday”.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new series.

For T-Shirt Tuesday week one I chose to share one of the most important shirts that is in my collection, even though it isn’t my favorite and I don’t often wear it.  This week I am featuring a user-generated media classic: the t-shirt “The Communist Party” by Threadless.

A close-up of the graphics from The Communist Party by Threadless

A close-up of the graphics from "The Communist Party" by Threadless

User-generated content is a growing web trend.  I mean, what would sites like YouTube or Facebook be without it?  Threadless, and its more artsy copycat, Design By Humans, proved that the end user could double as the product creator.  Every Threadless shirt was first designed by one of its users (aka, customers) and then submitted for a vote by the community.  Each week the community picks their favorites and the Threadless team turns those into t-shirts.  This fun and unique system not only creates a loyal fanbase but it also guarantees some of the most unique and interesting t-shirts available.  Each shirt, some with only 1000 in existence, are like piece of rare pop-art, except you wear it.  I follow this company not only because it has great t-shirts, but also because it has one of the most forward-thinking and creative business models in the world, and as a creative entreprenuer my self, I can learn a lot from them.

Me sporting the funny t-shirt.

Me sporting the funny t-shirt.

“The Communist Party” is easily one of Threadless’s greatest hits.  It was originally submitted in 2005 and been reprinted over and over again.  Its latest printing is pretty much sold out, again!  Its popularity boosted the image, and success, of its manufacturer, and it is likely one of, if not the most, popular shirt on Threadless.

Vodka comrade? I offer some Russian Vodka to my Communist Comrades.

"Vodka comrade?" I offer some Russian Vodka to my Communist Comrades.

“The Communist Party” is a visual pun… a joke.  As a rule, though, I try to avoid joke shirts.  First of all, jokes get old while art does not, and second, unless the joke is very smart, it makes the wearer look stupid.  (For instance, I’d look dumb in this one.)  Yet I broke my rule for this shirt and bought it, even though it is a joke, for other reasons.

You see, to those of us in this hobby, this shirt represents the beginning of the success for Threadless.  Also, to ‘creative entreprenuers’ like myself, this shirt is proof of how one can be successful by involving their customers in the design phase.  So I basically bought this shirt because of what it represents, not what is says.

The shirt costs $17 when available. Sign up for the threadless newsletter to get a shot at the next printing if you’d like this shirt, or to follow all the new shirts they put out on a weekly basis.

a different kind of investment

Published on August 11, 2008 in Faith, News, Sports & Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , .

My mom wanted me and my siblings to care about our country.  I remember watching the coverage of the 1992 Presidential election with my parents when I was only 5 years old.  I didn’t understand what was going on, but every time a state went from gray to a color, I cheered.  I didn’t know why, but it seemed exciting.  In 1996 I played in Nickelodeons’ Kids Pick the President and ‘chose’ Clinton, probably because my parents liked him.  In 2000 I realized the power that a vote has, and in the weeks of dispute and uncertainty MSNBC educated me a great deal about how the system works.  Though disappointed with the results of 2000, I was not discouraged and when 2004 rolled along I was 18 and ready to start voting.  It was exciting.

Despite my interest in politics, which manifests itself in lengthy debates with families and long times reading opinions and research online or in print, I have not yet donated to a campaign.  This time its different, I have donated three times already in 2008, including today, bringing my total contributions to $100 so far.

Why the change? Because too much is at stake.

This year, our country is at a crossroads.  How we move forward will be critical to our future.  This year’s election will dictate how we greet the new decade.  How do you want America to move forward?  There a two candidates who each have a different answer to that question and a different vision.  Find the one who most closely mirrors your own vision, and vote for them.  If you have $10, contribute as well.

My contribution today was not a freebie for a budding politician, but a different kind of investment into my, and my country’s, future.  I encourage you to do the same.

wowed by Beijing

Published on August 9, 2008 in Faith, News, Sports & Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
Scene from Beijing Opening Ceremony (Via Flickr user )

Scene from Beijing Opening Ceremony (Via Flickr user Ligadier Truffaut)

Tonight I watched the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  I was expecting a show boasting of ethnic pride and national ego, but instead I witnessed a spectacle; a mix themes including history, hope, and world peace portrayed majestically by a masterfully choreographed mix of pyrotechnics, technology, performers, and music.  The show was unlike anything I’ve ever seen at the Olympics or otherwise, I sit here still stunned and still with a smile on my face.  This show turned my ill opinion of these games around, and it reminded why I love the games so much.

So here is to Beijing!  Go USA, and more importantly, go World!

and then god laughed.

Published on August 7, 2008 in Faith, News, Sports & Politics and Photography. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

God definitely has a sense of humor.  Tonight he laughed at me–a lot–and I laughed with him–most of the time.

One of my many sub-hobbies of my bigger photography hobby is lighting photography.  It requires an intense mixture of bravery, patience, and patience.  Oh yeah… and lightning. I drove around in the heavy part of the storm looking for a sheltered place to set up. I ended up letting the storm pass looking for a spot. Eventually I settled in a ramada at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler. I aimed my camera at the horizon and began firing.

You see, to shoot lightning, you normally need to hold the shutter open until a bolt strikes.  Easy enough, except where there are other lights (like street lights) on that horizon.  I had six to ten seconds to before the other lights would ruin the photo.  So for a good 15 minutes I passed the time taking a photo every 6 seconds.  It seemed like every bolt (and there weren’t many) came inbetween exposures.  I cursed aloud the third time it happened.  A few minutes later, my SD card is filling up and I stop to dump some images, and I miss a spectacular bolt.  Finally I decide to leave after 25 minutes, having gotten nothing more than a distant cloud-to-cloud and as I pick up my camera and tripod and beautiful bolt strikes right where my camera was pointed.

He laughed.  I laughed.  I said, “Okay!  I stay a while longer and wait for it.”  And it came.  I walked away with 15 nice shots, but I had to first fall victim to God’s pranks.

Cloud to Ground: One of my better lighting shots from tonight.

"Cloud to Ground": One of my better lighting shots from tonight.

I guess God is funny like that.

its like riding a bike

Published on August 6, 2008 in Infinite MPG and Sun Devil Life. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

If I were to die today and God were to ask me how I liked the last month of my life, I’d tell him it was a pain in the butt and that ASU sucks.  July, for me, was nothing but running around getting ready for school.  Part of that adventure was planning my transportation to and from campus, which per Google Maps is 14.8 miles away.  While making these plans I was aware that ASU charged for parking.  I didn’t realize how much.  When I found out, I was flabbergasted.  An alternative was necessary.

To quote myself from earlier this week, ASU charges an ungodly amount of money ($780) to park on campus and an unholy amount ($280) to park in their glorified park-and-ride known as lot 59 (1 mile away and a 10 minute bus ride from campus).  Unbelievable!  I will be attending classes three days a week this semester, and three or four days a week next semester… so between 90 and 115 days this year.  At $780 for a year-long permit, it would cost me between $6.75 and $8.60 per day to park… or 2.5 hours a week of work.  Oh hell no, I value my time and money more than that!

So I did what every other cash-strapped student does… I consider a lot 59 pass.  At only $2.60 – $3.10 per day to park it was more reasonable.  But the FLASH (the free bus that transports students from lot 59 to campus) is notorious for being overfilled and sometimes rejecting passengers as a result.  If I can’t count on the provided bus to get me to class on time, why bother?  ASU has a hard-to-use transportation services website that offered a glimmer of hope: the UPass.  The UPass is an unlimited free-fare card for use on the ValleyMetro Bus and Light Rail lines… and is given to students for free.  Further research on my part revealed the location of a free park-and-ride two miles from campus with regular bus pickups.  My alternative was found!

During one of my many days getting lost in campus jungle of red tape with only a dull macheté as company, I noticed for the first time how big the campus actually is.  Walking, I decided, would be a ridiculous waste of time. Thus, I needed a speedier form on non-motorized travel.  Skates and Skateboards are fast–if referring to the speed at which the ambulance travels while transporting me to the hospital with compounded open fractures of the femur–but I needed something more subtle.  A bike!

This one idea transformed my entire outlook on life.  As my obsession with the bike idea grew, my continued distaste for high gasoline prices (20 cents a mile in gas, anyone?) and thieves stealing catalytic converters out from under your car while you shop for gummi bears and deordorant worsened. Suddenly the very prospect of the bike + UPass as a form of alternate transportation became the solution.  So I resolved to buy a bike.

But remember where this all started?  I am cheap.  Er, economical.  So I didn’t start my search for a bike at Target, I started and ended my search for a bike on Craislist.  In 30 minutes.

Last week, I went and paid $50 for my bike.  It isn’t a great bike, but a good one.  Well, good enough.  Its store brand (Murray), and was recently mechanically refurbished by a kind gentleman formerly a bike shop owner who passed his time in retirement warding off artritis by refurbishing bikes and selling them for nothing to young people and then using his time alone with them to convert them to Mormonism.  He failed with me but we still had a good talk, and I still got away for only $50.  I then bought a heavy duty lock, headlights and taillight kit, helmet, and some other accessories for another $95… bringing the total for the bike to $145… still half of the lot 59 parking fee.

Today, my day off, I installed all the stuff onto the bike.  The new “comfort select” seat was a must… considering that I want my balls to still work after biking around campus all year.  Minus a fresh coat of paint, it looked like new was deemed ready for my riding it.

Oh, what a joke.

I haven’t owned a bike for almost six years now… basically I got a car and then stopped using the bike.  Go figure!  I was a teenager with a driver’s license, I didn’t such a childish form of transportation any longer.  As such, I also haven’t rode a bicycle in that long: 6 years.

Ever heard that phrase “its like riding a bike”? Y’know, that one that suggests that certain skills can’t be forgotten?  Well, it would be nice if the term wasn’t a lie when taken literally.  I was able to operate the bike, but I have forgotten how to ride one.  I didn’t fall, but everything about riding like one did as a kid I now suck at.  I used to be able to ride with no handle bars... now I can’t remove a hand without losing balance.  I used to be able to take tight turns riding in circles with my neighborhood gang… now I need to three-point the neighborhood street!  On my ride, I nearly plowed down two pedestrians.  Its ridiculous!  I shouldn’t be allowed on the road.

And now, as I type this, my legs are burning in pain.  I rode 1 mile today… I’ll need to go 2.5 to get from the bus station to class.  And then reality sets in…

my plan, part 2

Published on August 6, 2008 in My Blog's News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

A few others thoughts about my plan…

I have already installed a few plugins for wordpress and the K2 template.  I will of course add a design to the site, that will also coincide with the lauch a small personal webspace.

I will soon be bringing the archived posts of my last blog and adding them to the archives of this one.  It’ll be like I never stopped… just took a long break.

my plan

Published on August 5, 2008 in My Blog's News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

So now that I am back to blogging, what am I going to use it for?  Well…

I am still involved in web design, though I would rather classify myself as a web programmer, because my designs suck while my code is beautiful.  I write front-end in HTML/XHTML semantically with CSS for styling (a la the teachings of Zeldman) and I write back-end in PHP and Ruby on Rails (RoR).  I am building a top-secret web application in RoR for professional artists that I aim to release by the end of the year.  I expect I will blog about those things.

I am going to begin school at ASU next month and I am sure stories from life as a student will enter this blog. Posts about being a student (again), transitioning from community college to university, and about returning to school after a break are likely to appear.

Because ASU charges an ungodly amount of money ($780) to park on campus and an unholy amount ($280) to park in their glorified park-and-ride known as lot 59 (1 mile away and a 10 minute bus ride from campus), I will be riding busses and bikes to/from school.  I have become very excited about my bike and all its potential benefits for me (save money, save gas, save the truck, save my gut) and for the world (save the environment) that I will be sharing a lot about my life as an alternate commuter in a not-so communter friendly city.

During my dark times between the blogs I picked up a hobby to try and release some emotions.  Since then, me and my camera have been joined at the hip.  For most of last year I was involved in a daily-self-portrait group and though a broken computer stopped me short of my one year goal, it hasn’t stopped my photography bug.  Lots of photos to come!

Finally, I like to observe and comment on life, the news, and politics.  While this blog will not be another piss-on-Washington site, I am likely to discuss some of my observations from time-to-time.

So, thats my plan!

blog, revamped

Published on August 4, 2008 in In General and My Blog's News. 0 Comments

Almost three years ago I decided to begin blogging, and then about two years ago I stopped.  I wrote on the blog semi-regularly for almost a year, mostly about the two big things going on in my life at the time, my role as the Section Chief for Section W4C in the Order of the Arrow and my interest in web design (with a focus on user interaction).  Then suddenly I stopped without much explanation. Now, I begin again, and try to pick up where I left everyone hanging.

I would love to say that I stopped blogging because I was done, that I was ready to close that chapter in my life, but I wasn’t.  I loved blogging and I loved sharing my thoughts with the world.  I stopped because I emotionally couldn’t handle it–not to mention the rest of life–anymore.  I stopped because we kicked my Dad out of the house after months of emotional neglect and abuse.  I stopped because in making that decision, and then coming to terms with its negative consequences, the simpler things in life passed by the wayside.  Luckily, the positive consequences of that decision have begun to enter my life, and the days are passing more joyfully.

It wasn’t easy.  I went from being a driven, efficient, effective, person to a person who could barely handle his chores and his job during his year off from school.  When only months before I was a Section Chief in the Order of the Arrow, a full-time student, and worked two jobs, I suddenly found myself unable to perform the simplest of tasks without an overwhelming sense of frustration and a strong desire to procrastinate and walk away.  The last year or so of my life has been unproductive… dare I say wasted.  I choose now to move past that.  I am ready to return to a busy but fulfilled life where shit gets done again–and done well!

So here we go again.  I am blogging, again!  Hope you all are ready for me.