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Everybody's a Critic

They dare not speak our name?

Here’s some more ill-natured griping during this festive holiday season. But surely you will not blame me for objecting to Garden Gate’s use of 3—3!—big pictures of Buffalo gardens in their January/February issue without any attribution. One is on the cover. It is a garden located at 72 Lancaster that some of you (attendees of Garden Walk) may have seen. There is also a detail shot of the same garden illustrating a feature on Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum superbum) “Becky” on the inside back cover. There is also an image of a Granger Place patio on page 30, illustrating a piece on “Inviting Spaces.”

Many of you have also hosted members of the media in your gardens or neighborhoods, so you know—as exciting and welcome as it is—it can also be a bit of a pain. In Buffalo this summer, we had a bunch of magazines—including Garden Gate, People, Places and Plants; Organic Gardening (represented by Amy); Upstate Gardener’s Journal, Canadian Gardening, and several Better Homes and Gardens specialty publications—visit us, largely as a result of Garden Walk and the Garden Walk book. Gardeners were told that photographers could be coming at any time over one weekend, starting at 6 a.m. Plants and furniture were moved around for them, and we had to be careful not to impede their progress in any way (we were asked not to speak to the Better Homes people, as I recall). Then, after all that, just a few gardens were actually targeted for use in any of the articles. Which is fine. That’s the way it works. But if a garden is used, I do think they should say whose it is and where it is. It’s refreshing to see a lush, summer scene in Buffalo featured in a garden mag at this time of year.

Unfortunately, no one will know. Let’s hope the BHG pubs do better. And thanks to all the mags who DID properly ID us!

Posted by on December 23, 2007 at 12:00 pm, in the category Everybody's a Critic.
Comments are off for this post

15 Responses to “They dare not speak our name?”

  1. susan harris says:

    So it isn’t just HGTV that accepts gardener hospitality and then selfishly uses the photos with no attribution – that’s a shocker!

  2. Ellen says:

    Perhaps I’ve misunderstood something. The Better Homes people come traipsing through your gardens for the purpose of photographing the homeowner’s hard work, for use in their publications without attribution, and you’re forbidden from speaking to them? What are they, rock stars? British Royalty? How appallingly rude! Screw them and the horse they rode in on. I’d be charging them admission at the gate. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t break the vow of silence- I’d have a sign, and my hand thrust forward, palm up, waiting to be greased.

    On a gentler note, yes, it is refreshing to see lush gardens in Buffalo, especially since most of the country can’t mentally get beyond Buffalo’s annual average snowfall. Nice to have the rest of the nation be reminded that there is more than one season in Buffalo.

  3. eliz says:

    In my book lack of attribution is simply bad journalism whether you’re a garden mag, a bridal mag, a hunting mag or whatever. People like to know what they’re looking at.

    And yes, Ellen, that’s the thing that bugged me. I don’t mind staying out of their way or putting up with anything if good PR for Buffalo gardens comes out of it.

  4. Amy Stewart says:

    And it’s not just about the PR. It would have been a much more interesting story if it had been “Small Space Solutions from Buffalo’s Urban Gardeners” or some such thing. Still how-to, but with some personality and a sense of place.

  5. Kim says:

    Sense of place, exactly. I would think that it would hearten many of their readers to know that such lushness is possible in Buffalo–many times before I really got into gardening, I would see such pictures and think, “Sure, but where is that? The Pacific Northwest?”

  6. Hi Elizabeth. I’m really surprised to hear about the way your neighborhood gardeners were treated by BHG. I have worked with them on a few occasions and the homeowner has been a very important part of the team each time. By the way, I got a subscription to Spree for Christmas and am loving it!

  7. eliz says:

    Thanks, Jane! BHG just didn’t have time to talk to people, I’m guessing. I’m more mad at GG.

  8. Graham Rice says:

    What they should do, when they come to publish the pix or when the pix are taken, is simply ask the garden owners whether or not they want attribution – and go by that.

    In my experience, many garden owners ask for proper attribution while some are happy for their gardens to be photographed and the pictures used in a magazine but ask for no attribution, especially if the garden is not normally open to visitors. They just don’t want to look out of the window and find people wandering uninvited across their lawn – which certainly happens sometimes.

    The problem is that whatever the owners tells the photographer can get lost along the way through the editing process, especially now that editorial staffs are shrinking.

  9. eliz says:

    Graham, in this case, we all publish the addresses of our gardens months in advance in the Garden Walk map, printed and online. Also, we worked with the Visitor’s Bureau on bringing in media. Believe me, we are all huge show-offs and would have every intention of having our names and at least streets used. This had to have been a GG thing, where they just wanted to use the gardens as pictorial fodder. Indeed, for all I know, they may have included that proviso in the releases.

  10. “The problem is that whatever the owners tells the photographer can get lost along the way through the editing process” -
    Yup, that’s why I have a standard release contract form now.

    My problem seems to lie with stock photographers who have shot projects of mine and keep the images on file.
    When a magazine calls the stock photographer asking if they have an image that will fit a particular story they are running the stock photographer sends out the image(s) gets paid for those images and is also suppose to send out my release form that states under any circumstance they are to credit my firms name with the image and not list the clients name ( most of my clients prefer not to have their names in print for some reason ).

    When I run across an image of one of my projects in a magazine or book which was not credited I simply call the editor and raise hell, which usually leads to some sort of compensation package.
    I also ask who the photographer was who got paid to use my project images and remind them of the release contract that they signed.

    Contracts… they are a good thing.

  11. Pam/Digging says:

    How unkind to use your gardens in that way and not give you guys the credit for all that hard work.

  12. Please don’t paint us all with the same brush. I’ve been a Field Editor for BH%G Garden Group for four years and have never done anything remotely like this.
    FYI, BH&G Garden Group does not knowingly print photos of someone’s garden without their permission. However, garden owners should understand that by opening their gardens to the public and allowing photography, they are giving tacit permission for photo freelancers (and magazine editors) to sell pictures of what is in their garden.
    That being said, there is no excuse for boorishness. Unfortunately, as everywhere, there ARE some prima donnas in this business.
    I have been asked from time to time, by a variety of people, how I can stand talking to all of these gardeners individually. I enjoy it. (see http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Transformational%20Power%20of%20Gardening) Some do not.
    It is very difficult for a field editor who is scouting gardens on a tour to speak to every garden host for any length of time, since the garden host is often very busy talking to other visitors, and the field editor is trying to take lots of pictures.
    It is also awkward for the field editor to disappoint a garden host whose garden, while lovely or interesting, doesn’t fit in with the editorial needs of the magazine(s) she represents. Time and experience teach one how to better handle these situations.
    I apologize for my peers who have yet to learn that there are no wonderful gardens without dedicated gardeners.

  13. eliz says:

    Thanks for responding, Lois,

    I’ve been trying to clarify the issues here: that this is really about the lack of attribution by GG, not the inconvenience (as far as I know, we were just asked politely not to detain people), but this really hit a nerve. Sometimes the conversation goes in unexpected directions on blogs–something I really enjoy.

    Attribution, permissions, and credits are important issues and I am glad they are being aired here, and I understand elsewhere among garden writers.

  14. I’m guessing that BHG did NOT say it was GG specifically because they are a national magazine with a very broad focus and audience — don’t want to turn off the CA & FL folks by specifying this garden may be out of their zone and vice versa.

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The User's Perspective—May 2006

GASB Home | GASB Store | Project Pages | Financial Statement Users | News Center

Derivatives: GASB Proposes More Transparency
The number, value, and variety of derivatives entered into by government have increased dramatically in recent years. These often complex transactions and the risks to which they may expose a government are not well understood by the public. The GASB is proposing that governments report derivatives in their financial statements and disclose additional information about their nature, value, and inherent risks.

GASB User Guides

Inexpensive, plain-language, nontechnical guides to understanding government financial reports.
Learn more

Fund Balance: It May Not Be What You Think It Is
Fund balance may be the most widely used piece of information in government financial reports. But GASB research has found significant variations in how fund balance is reported from one government to the next. The GASB has also found that what governments report and what the public thinks it is reading may not be the same thing.

Coming to a CAFR Near You: The New Statistical Section, Part 1
The guidelines for the statistical section, the part of a comprehensive annual financial report where governments present 10-year trends in financial, demographic, economic, and operational information, were basically untouched for a quarter-century. However, governments are now implementing GASB Statement 44, which significantly updates and improves the information in the statistical section.

Deposits and Investments: New Information in the Notes
Users of governmental financial reports should be seeing significant changes in the information that is disclosed about deposit and investment activity. Governments are currently implementing GASB Statement 40, which has significantly enhanced the reporting of the risks of loss posed by deposits and investments.

What Is the GASB Doing Now?
You cannot tell the players without a scorecard. So here is the scorecard—brief descriptions of the issues the GASB is currently working on, their likely impact on the information in governmental financial reports, key dates to keep in mind, and staff contacts.

Let the GASB know who you are: Fill out the GASB visitors register and we will keep you up to date about what we are doing.

Proposed Standards:
The GASB needs to know whether its proposals will provide useful information for you. Please take a look at these proposed standards and share your opinion with us.

  • Accounting and Financial Reporting for Derivatives (Comment Deadline: July 28, 2006)

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It was more like Walden Ocean

Filed in Gather Travel Essential by on May 20, 2006 0 Comments

Tonight marks the end of a long day doing what was planned months ago. Friday night despite the Mass Pike being closed all day and into the night (tanker rollover) my friend drove from her job in Hartford to stay here. We planned this a while ago because she knew she did not have to work today. We kept our fingers crossed that the weather would be perfect after all the rain we had (and had and had). It was.

She asked me during the week if Walden Pond looked more like Walden Ocean. I replied: "Well, not that I can see." Boy was I ever wrong. We started the day at a decent time considering we were at my favorite Irish Pub last night (Desmond O'Malleys) watching the Sox game. And so our adventure began.

We arrived at Walden Pond before any of the tourists and really before a lot of the locals. We paid our $5 to park (well worth it because it goes to a good cause. *thank you Don Henley*). As we started down the path to the Pond we did not notice much out of sorts. Then we hooked a left and consulted our map and decided to hike around the Pond that way. It was tricky along the wall and we thought to ourselves "this can't be the trail". We pushed along further (not falling in) and came upon a fisherman. He said "I've been coming here 50 years and I've never seen anything like this." We asked him what he meant because everything looked okay despite the fact that the trail was too narrow for our tastes. He explained that "We've lost 10ft of beach all along here and then the trail is all under water!!" We glanced to the left and it suddenly became clear.

There was a park bench fully submerged and several others sticking out of the water. In fact, there was a fisherman standing up on the stone wall fishing above the park bench. We then realized the fine folks at Walden have a long summer ahead. They had brought in truckloads of sand to keep up the beach (now gone). They spent years making the trail the way it was (now gone). We enjoyed our conversation with the fisherman (talked about the fish stocked in the lake).

After a quick hike up to the railroad tracks (and some photos taken there) we made it down to the original site of Thoreau's house. We found a rock and added to the pile as was tradition. I had never heard of that tradition, and I was delighted to participate.

We made it back around and then hit the gift shop. They sold cold bottled water which was great. For $6 I got a little book that features parts of both Maine Woods and Cape Cod so I was excited.

We called my husband once we reached Rte 2, and he met us in Concord for lunch. We enjoyed the Walden Grille on Walden Street (of course). Everything was wonderful, the service was excellent and the quality and price could not be beat. Plus, there was works of a local artist on the walls (that I recognized from a local gallery). I forgot to pay for parking but did not get a ticket.

Then us girls headed on to Bedford (to swing by my work) and then on to Lexington. We were dissapointed that we did not see anyone on Lexington green in either a redcoat (!) or colonial clothing holding a musket (many a lunchbreak I see such folks. We had texted friends telling them that we expected to see some folks in Colonial garb and they replied: "Your mother wears Colonial clothing." After that we went into Brookline and then back home again.

It was really a lovely day. Much catching up and fresh air was had. We got to try a place for lunch we had never been. And the best part is we made it all the way around Walden Ocean without falling in!

"We can never have enough of Nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and Titanic features, the sea-coast with its wrecks, the wilderness with its living and decaying trees…We need to witness our own limits trangressed."

-Walden by Henry David Thoreau

About the Author ()

Leah G. is a photographer, avid reader, geocacher, and true Western Mass girl at heart. She has an off-the-grid vacation home and loves growing her own organic veggies. Currently Leah is pursuing a Master's in Business Administration at Framingham St

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New Editor Coming Aboard: Sunday Gather Writing Essential NGCC

Filed in Gather Writing Essential by on April 15, 2012 0 Comments

Dear Gather Writing Essential Denizens:

I feel like I’m walking into a room with 1900 strangers in it.

I’ve been asked to serve as the Sunday GWE Editor, and it is my privilege and pleasure to accept. Â It’s going to be a challenge. Â I gather not every editor does a weekly prompt, but I have so enjoyed the prompts of Kimberly, Len, Andrea, Greg, et al. that I just assume that I will do one. Â I suppose it will be like writing a weekly column, which I’ve never done before. Â I’m going out on a really big limb. Â Or should I say a really small one?

I’m fully expecting (probably needlessly) to fumble the ball on the goal line, put my foot in my mouth at the press conference, and be tabloid fodder for the next ten years. Â But, as the wag said, a turtle can’t get anywhere unless it sticks its neck out. Â So here goes:

I have an abiding love for modern poetry. Â I’m also writing short stories and humor pieces, something I just started doing in the last year, and something about which I realize I have a tremendous amount to learn. Â So I thought I would offer something a little different, I think, from, well, from other things that aren’t the same.

Modern poetry is not about rhyming, and it’s only occasionally about structure. Â It’s about imagery and economy and richness of language. Â So we are going to survey the poetic devices modern poetry employs, devices like metaphor, simile, alliteration, synecdoche, zeugma, and other arcane words you never heard of.

On the prose side, I’m going to use a wonderful book called Point Of View: An Anthology of Short Stories, edited by Moffett and McElheny. Â The Anthology surveys the various narrative points of view from which a story can be written, working from the smallest (interior monologue) to the broadest (omniscient narrator, no point of view), with explanations and several classic examples of each.

Poetry Prompt: Write a poem with at least one metaphor in it. Â For an example, look at my The Reckoning. Â There are several principal metaphors in this poem: a recovering alcoholic as a cat, a plastic bag as a falcon, as well as minor ones, such as the plastic bag as a cave.

Prose Prompt: Write a short short story that is told via the device of interior monologue, that is, the thoughts going through one person’s head. Â Keep it under 1000 words, please. Â A classic example is Dorothy Parker’s A Telephone Call. Â You really must read this if you haven’t already. Â It’s a hoot.

Put Sunday Writing Essential in the title and SunWE in the tags. Â Post by next Sunday if you can. Â If you can’t , it’s cool. Â Submit it when you can. Â I will comment on every submission and put a link to it in the next column. Â If you want a more candid, academic critique (but still very friendly, soft-pedal, positive), put the word “rigorous” somewhere in the post (e.g. “rigorous critique wanted”).

Your guidance, feedback, and candid criticism will be welcome and wanted. Â Your participation will be an honor.

About the Author ()

57 year old musician, poet, father of 4 grown children, composer, recording artist, author, humorist, survivor. I'm thoughtful, introspective, introverted, open, scathingly honest about myself, creative, a Renaissance guy, willing to grow and change and

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Girlfriend 'Playfully' Shoots, Kills Boyfriend

A Florida woman inadvertently killed her boyfriend when she "playfully" shot him with a gun she wasn't aware had been loaded.

Justin Holt, 22, and his girlfriend Erin Steele, 20, were visiting a friend this past Sunday when another friend arrived with a pistol that was passed around the group.

Authorities in Boca Raton say the four had spent the day "dry firing" the empty gun at each other before moving on to other things.

At some point, the gun's owner, Joshua Henry, loaded the gun and set it on a counter.

Steele, unaware the gun had been loaded by Henry, picked it up and resumed the "game" by pointing the weapon at Holt's chest and firing it.

Holt was rushed to the Delray Medical Center around 11 p.m., but was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Holt's family, who knew Steele well, called the incident and accident and said they did not harbor ill-will towards her.

"We have a lot of compassion for her because she's got to live with that, no matter what she does, for the rest of her life," Holt's grandfather told the Sun-Sentinel.

Police have yet to charge anyone with a crime, but their investigation continues.

[photos via Shutterstock, Sun-Sentinel]


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Stop Talking About the Crazy Person

Former Gawker commenter Newtojezebel has been banned for nine months now, which is probably some sort of record, but apparently people continue talking about her, all the time. She was banned for seeming a little unstable, so naturally she decided to contact former Gawker editor Alex Balk, via fax for some reason, to ask him to please email all of you to explain that she is not him. Balk, of course, is too busy writing on issues of great international import at Radar to do this on his own, so we've decided to help. You follow? Just read it!


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Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert invites Leatherfolk from around the world to gather in our desert usually around the 1st or 2nd weekend each November, (see our website for all the current details) for a hot, sexy celebration of Leather. Today, Palm Springs Leather Pride is one of our city’s most popular LGBT events and one of the largest, longest-running, and most successful Leather Events in Southern California. Our weekend festivities see attendees from over half the US as well as Canada, Germany, England and France!

A VIP Weekend Package includes admission to all ticketed events, plus a commemorative T-shirt, collectible dog tags and a run pin or you can purchase individual tickets to most events. See our website for details.

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PHILADELPHIA - Domonic Brown hit a game-ending RBI single to give Philadelphia a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

The Phillies scored two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth for their second come-from-behind win in as many days. They have won four of five to improve to 4-3 under Ryne Sandberg, who became the manager when Charlie Manuel was fired last Friday.

"We're just out there having lots of fun, feeding off the energy we have in the clubhouse," Brown said. "We're trying to make a statement going into next year."

Colorado carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth, but Rafael Betancourt (2-5) blew a save opportunity for the second straight game and the third time in 19 chances.

"That was a tough loss," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "The Phillies kept fighting."

Jimmy Rollins started the winning rally with a two-out double. He then stole third and scored on Michael Young's slow roller to third that went for a hit. Young had the game-winning hit off Betancourt in Philadelphia's 4-3 win on Wednesday night.

Betancourt departed after Young's at-bat with an elbow injury, heading to the dugout after a visit from Weiss and a trainer. The right-hander had lunged for Young's grounder that went just out of his reach. After the game the team said he sprained his right elbow.

Jeff Francis came in and walked Chase Utley before Brown's grounder to right scored Young. Brown was mobbed by the Phillies, who took three of four games from the Rockies for just their second series win since the All-Star break.

Wilin Rosario homered for Colorado, which has dropped five of six. The Rockies have won nine of 39 games against Philadelphia since the start of the 2008 season.

Darin Ruf homered and Carlos Ruiz had three hits for the Phillies.

Colorado rookie Chad Bettis allowed one run and six hits over 51/3 innings in his fifth career start. He was in line for his first win before Philadelphia's late rally.

"The first one is never easy and you can never count the other team out," Bettis said. "I felt real good tonight. Everything was working pretty well. I had better location than my last start. I had the same stuff but my command and location were better."


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Show The Graduate Center Menu

Fall 2014

GC ITP Core 1
Thursdays, 4:15 - 6:15PM
Instructors: Steve Brier email and Luke Waltzer email

This is the first core course in the Interactive Technology and Pedagogy certificate program. We will examine the economic, social, and intellectual history of technological change over time, as well as technology and digital media design and use. Our primary focus is on the mutual shaping of technology and academic teaching, learning and research—how people and technologies have shaped academic classroom and research interactions in the past, and how they are reshaping the university in the present. By examining the use and design of technologies inside and outside of the academy, we are, of course, also reflecting on what it means to be human in a world increasingly dominated and controlled by various technologies.

The course also explores the history and theory of digital media, including hypertext and multimedia, highlighting the theoretical and practical possibilities for research, reading, writing, presentation, interaction, and play. We are particularly interested in the ITP program in the possibilities that new, nonlinear, digital tools have opened up for teaching and research, including the emergence of the “Digital Humanities.”

Spring 2014

GC ITP Core 2
Wednesdays, 4:15 - 6:15PM
Instructors: Michael Mandiberg email and Maura Smale email

Skills sessions run 6:30 – 8:30 PM on Wednesdays and some Thursdays in the library computer labs (see specific details on each date below).

All students should register for accounts on the following sites: CUNY Academic Commons, Twitter, and Zotero. Remember that when you register for social networking accounts, you do not have to use your full name or even your real name. One benefit of writing publicly under your real name is that you can begin to establish a public academic identity and to network with others in your field. However, keep in mind that search engines have extended the life of online work; if you are not sure that you want your work for this course to be part of your permanently searchable identity trail on the web, you should strongly consider creating an alias. Whether you engage social media under your real name or whether you construct a new online identity, please consider the ways in which social media can affect your career in both positive and negative ways.

ITCP 89010: Independent Study
Prof. Brier | 3 credits
Permission of instructor required.


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  • Natchez, Mississippi: Essay #26 In this monograph, the author devotes attention to four key services as they developed in antebellum Natchez: fire protection, gas lighting, sanitation, and streets.
  • Mayor Frank P. Zeidler: Essay #25 This well-researched book establishes the historical context of conditions in Milwaukee at the end of World War II and examines Mayor Zeidler’s efforts to improve mass transit while stemming the decline of mass transit usage and provides his introspection on Milwaukee transportation policies.
  • An Interview with Donald C. Stone The most extensive published oral history with Donald C. Stone, the founder of APWA and true pioneer of modern public administration.


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Geekologie I Watch Stuff The Superficial Hedonistica

Results for "boing boing boing boing boing"

  • January 15, 2015
    This is a short video of some folks going off the Ski and Snowboard Bungee Ramp at the Tignes Ski Resort in France's Northern Alps. From what I could tell, the bungee cords actually slide on two cables parallel to the jump, so you continue bouncing further and further down the... / Continue →
  • May 20, 2014
    This is a video from Vat19 answering questions about their Magnetic Thinking Putty ($15) by demonstrating what you can do with 100-lbs (500 cans) worth. It looks like fun. Unfortunately, I just don't have room in my personal budget right now for 500 cans of magnetic silly pu... / Continue →


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Geekologie I Watch Stuff The Superficial Hedonistica

Results for "well there goes my extra income"

  • August 16, 2012
    Because eBay is run by a bunch of Muggles, the online auction giant has decided to ban the sale of magic potions, curses, spells, and anything else cool that might be worth buying. Fingers crossed cat jewelry is still a go (for my sister's sake). Effective August 30, eBay's 2... / Continue →


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GT Featured

Paul Greengrass to Executive Produce CIA Drama For FOX

Director Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum) is making the move to TV for one of his next projects. Deadline reports that he will serve as executive producer on the untitled CIA drama from writer Joe Weisberg (Falling Skies) for 20th Century Fox TV. This is his first time working in TV, who will serve as EP along with Brian Grazer and Weisberg. His deal is currently limited to producting, but Greengrass may direct the pilot if his schedule permits.

The project is described as "a high-stakes character-based drama centering on the young assistants of high-ranking officers in the U.S. Intelligence community. The show takes place within the walls of the CIA, as well as the DIA, NSA, FBI and the intelligence components at the White House."

Greengrass will be a perfect producer for the project. The show sounds good to me, but I am a fan of CIA and spy related dramas. What are your thougths on this news?

No author bio. End of line.

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Over-the-top FAA oversight

Dave Sclair was General Aviation News’ publisher from 1970-2000.

I was reading Charlie Spence’s Capital Comments column recently and I became intrigued by the numbers he was quoting from the FAA’s annual forecast. This annual study, which predicts aviation activities over the next 20 years, is used by the FAA to plan for the effects of expected growth.

The forecast predicted a rate of growth for general aviation over the forecast period of less than 1%, with fixed wing pistons having the smallest growth — barely 2/10ths of 1% a year!

[Read more…]

A tale of two airparks

Dave Sclair was co-publisher from 1970-2000. He also is co-founder of Living With Your Plane and a renowned expert on airpark living.

I’m an optimist by nature. It’s a good thing I am, considering having spent the last 40 years not only in the aviation business but the aviation publishing business. During this major slice of my life, I can attest to the ups and downs of this business (no pun intended) as I’ve watched the number of pages we’ve produced expand and retreat, a nearly perfect mirror of the industry itself.

However, through all those years I’ve always felt the next month or next period or next year was going to bring improvements and, without fail, over the decades things have always gotten better. Granted, it has sometimes taken longer than I liked to see the turnaround, but it has consistently improved, given the time.

What brought this all to mind? [Read more…]

Airparks & GA: International interest in U.S. airparks highlights strength of GA here

Dave Sclair was co-publisher of General Aviation News from 1970-2000 and is the co-founder of Living With Your Plane

Recently I received an interesting note from an individual in Europe. He had watched an EAA-sponsored webinar on residential airparks and was really wanting to find one in the U.S. to which he could move. He has already decided that he prefers Florida. He indicated he had looked at advertisements for Leeward Air Ranch in Florida. The grass runway was OK with him, but now he was obviously looking for someone to make the final decision for him … or at least weed down his options dramatically.

[Read more…]

The fallout from sonic booms

Recently the Seattle-Tacoma region in Washington state where I live was hit by a pair of sonic booms. They were caused by the flight of two Oregon Air National Guard F-15s sent to intercept a floatplane that had violated a TFR established when President Obama visited Seattle.

[Read more…]

Weeks, Tucker join Lindbergh Foundation board

Photo cutline:  Lindbergh Foundation director John Peterson announced the addition of Kermit Weeks (second from left) and Sean Tucker (second from right) to the foundaton'sboard. Also participating in the announcement during pre conference during EAA AirVenture 2010 was David Treinis, Lindbergh Foundation executive.

Two of aviation’s best-known names, air show ace Sean D. Tucker and aircraft collection icon Kermit Weeks, have joined the board of The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. Both say they were drawn to the foundation by its substantial programs within the aviation community to further the Lindberghs’ strong interest in applying technology to solve environmental problems.

Lindbergh Foundation director John Peterson announced the addition of Kermit Weeks (second from left) and Sean Tucker (second from right) to the foundation's board. Also participating in the announcement during AirVenture was David Treinis, Lindbergh Foundation executive.

[Read more…]

Book review: ‘Hearts of Courage’

In January 1943, an Electra piloted by Alaskan bush Pilot Harold Gillam crashed in foul weather on its way from Seattle to Anchorage. Gillam died trying to find help for the survivors. One other passenger also died after a couple days. Miraculously, four others survived nearly a month in the wilderness with little to eat, only the clothes on their backs and minimal survival gear.

John M. Tippets’ father, Joe Tippets, was one of those on the aircraft. Much of the survival story in Tippets’ new book, “Hearts of Courage,” is related as father told it to his son. In addition to the survival aspect and courage shown, the author has done considerable research into the crash and the harrowing survival and rescue experiences with the end result a fascinating, larger than life experience.

Tippets was a member of the Mormon Church and he credits his faith for surviving the crash and the ensuing days and weeks in sub-freezing weather, hiking down the side of a mountain and making his way, with one of the three other survivors, to the beach and ultimately having sailors on a ship spot them.

Hearts of Courage also includes numerous photos of the crash scene and additional information about Gillam, as well as flying operations in Alaska during the war years.

Copies of Hearts of Courage are available from Amazon and most aviation bookstores. Retail price is $19.95. You can also contact Tippets by email: johntippets@yahoo.com

A trip back in time

I’ve been working on a book about my newspaper career. A major portion of my time in the business — more than 50 years in total — has been spent in the world of aviation. As I ventured into different aspects of my life in aviation, I tried to recall what airplanes I had flown and when. That’s when I dug out my logbooks, going all the way back to my first lessons at a strip in Wink, Texas (look it up on a chart), where my initial flight instructor was Nancy Brumlow. Back then having a female instructor was really something different.

Going back through my logbooks was a wonderful trip back in time and helped me recall a host of wonderful memories…and a few that made me shudder again. Thank heavens, most of my flying experiences were dull and boring.

If you want to spend a few hours delving into nostalgia, get your logbooks and let yourself drift back in time. One word of caution, however: Don’t expect to spend just a few minutes perusing the records. My planned work session on the book quickly fell by the wayside as I read and recalled the planes, the instructors, the airports visited, and the weather experienced.

[Read more…]

Book chronicles efforts to buy a 150 and fly around the world

Books by pilots about their experiences vary dramatically from very good to, well, being polite, not as good!

When a friend brought me a book written by a friend of his about the friend’s efforts to buy a plane and fulfill a lifelong ambition to fly around the world, I kinda rolled my eyes. And, when I started reading and discovered the airplane he was buying was a Cessna 150 and the lifelong ambition was to fly around the world, well, I almost threw it away without opening the cover.

I decided to read the first paragraph or two and then the first chapter just because my friend had brought it to me. After getting that start I was glad I did because this was a fun-filled, humorous account of an episode that shouldn’t happen to anyone.

The book was very good!

“So you Think You’d Like to Buy an Airplane … and fly off to Adventure” is the rather lengthy title of the book by Gerald F. McMahon Jr., a native of Charleston, S.C. He’s a US Army vet active in real estate and with a business in Irish imports.

[Read more…]

WASPs honored at museum gala

WASPgroup1 2

Six WASPs (Women’s Air Force Service Pilots) of World War II were recently recognized at the Museum of Flight’s Hangar Gala at Seattle’s Boeing Field. In addition to the WASPs, the gala was held to recognize the anniversary of the B-17, built at the Boeing plant in Seattle. The WASPs (each wearing a red ribbon holding their Congressional Gold Medal) are (left to right) Josephine Swift, Betty Dyboro, Enid Fisher (in wheelchair and who died two days after the ceremony), Dorothy Olson, Mary Sturdevant and Nancy Dunham. (Photo courtesy Museum of Flight)

For more information: MuseumOfFlight.org

Flying in Alaska

I regularly attend aviation events all over the country and have been doing so for around 40 years. I always enjoy seeing the numbers and variety of aircraft at these events, whether the event is primarily for sport aviation enthusiasts or features high-end business aircraft.

Oshkosh and Sun ‘n Fun always amaze me by the sheer numbers of aircraft that are on the field at any one time. The business events impress me with the size and scope of the planes used in corporate flying. The Reno Air Races are fun to watch for the simple power, speed and, yes, the daring of many of those pilots.

But, for absolute fascination, there is nothing like driving around Lake Spenard and Lake Hood in Anchorage and viewing the multitude of airplanes. This is the only tower-controlled floatplane facility anywhere and, with the number of planes based here and the extent of the operations, it is easy to understand why some control is helpful.

I’m writing this while attending the Alaska State Aviation Trade Show & Conference, which took place in Anchorage May 1-2. I’ve already run into people I know from virtually every corner of the United States and Canada. The show is located in the FedEx hangar at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and the interior is filled with exhibitors, while the ramp is packed with aircraft ranging from antiques to sport planes to cabin class bizjets.

But, what continually surprises and thrills me every time I come up here and have the opportunity to look around, is the number of aircraft and pilots. There are 613,745 pilots in the United States, according to FAA data from 2008. In Alaska, about 10,000 people have pilot certificates and about that same number of aircraft are registered in the state. And, it is often said that if everyone in Alaska who flew had a pilot certificate and current medical, the numbers would probably be a heck of a lot higher.

[Read more…]


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  • Razorback

    Razorback 3 years, 5 months ago

    @Glen: I have often wondered if that Bill Murray line was the predecessor of the Dos XX Most Interesting Man in the World ad campaign.

    And yes, a +1 button would be very cool. But a method to prevent re-posting might take priority. $1 Shave Club. Just sayin'.

  • archer

    archer 3 years, 5 months ago

    excuse me for asking this here, but gentlemint hasn't yet provided a way for users to contact users, and doesn't notify you when someone has commented on a tack that you've commented on.

    you said you bought a leather bag on etsy from a vendor in india. there are questions for you, mine among them. http://gentlemint.com/tack/30233/


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Munich (German: München), Germany, the capital of the state of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany. It lies on the Isar River between the Alps and the Danube River near the Austrian border.

Munich is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany and is known for fine museums and music, numerous beer halls and breweries, and lively festivals. Carnival, before Lent, and Oktoberfest, in autumn, are two of the largest, most popular celebrations held in Europe.

Munich is the most important commercial and industrial city in southern Germany and is a major financial, transportation, and communications center. Foremost among its many industries are the making of electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, automobiles, clothing, beer, chemicals, and optical and precision instruments. Also important to the city's economy are printing and publishing and tourism.

The city has a subway and a suburban rail system and is well served by intercity passenger and freight railways. Franz Josef Strauss Airport, opened in 1992, is one of Europe's largest international airports.

Prominent Places

Munich's oldest section lies on the west bank of the Isar in an area once encircled by walls. The heart of the old section is Marienplatz, an ancient square and site of the New Town Hall, built in a Neo-Gothic style. Nearby is the Frauenkirche, a twin-towered cathedral. Here, too, is the former royal palace, the Residenz, home of the Wittelsbach family, which ruled Bavaria for more than 700 years (1180–1918). Other buildings include the National Theater, the Church of the Theatines, and the Hofbräuhaus, the most noted of Munich's many beer halls.

Just north of the old section is the English Garden, the city's largest and finest park. Nearby is Schwabing, the student and artist section. On the outskirts of the city are Schleissheim and Nymphenburg palaces. Nymphenburg, a magnificent Baroque palace, was the former summer residence of the Wittelsbachs. Munich also has a botanic garden and a zoo.

Munich has numerous museums and art galleries. Especially notable are the Old Pinakothek, housing one of the world's finest art collections, and the German Museum, with hundreds of excellent exhibits on science and technology. Other museums include the New Pinakothek, the Bavarian National Museum, the Glyptothek, and the museum of the Residenz.

Munich has four symphony orchestras, including the prominent Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Also widely known is the Bavarian State Opera. One of the many drama groups is the Bavarian State Theater, which presents mainly classical plays.

Institutions of higher learning include the University of Munich (founded 1472) and the Technical University of Munich.

Tradition places Munich's settlement around a Benedictine abbey dating back to the early Middle Ages. Munich was chartered in 1158 by a Saxon duke and became a market town and the chief Isar river crossing for salt and grain trade routes. The city came under the control of the Wittelsbach family in 1180 and was made their permanent residence in 1255. It soon became a thriving commercial center encircled by walls.

During the Thirty Years' War (1618–48) Munich was a stronghold of Roman Catholicism and remains so today. Beautification began in the 18th century, but the greatest development occurred in the 19th century under the Bavarian kings Ludwig I, Maximilian II, and Ludwig II—all patrons of the arts. In the early 1900's the Blue Rider movement of expressionist painting centered in Munich.

Munich was the birthplace of the National Socialist (Nazi) party and the scene of Adolf Hitler's first attempt to seize power—the beer hall putsch of 1923. It was also here that a pact dooming Czechoslovakia to German control was signed by Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany in 1938.

Munich was heavily damaged by bombing during World War II. Reconstruction was rapid after the war, followed by great industrial and population growth. In 1972 Munich opened a subway and was the site of the Summer Olympics, which were marred by the seizure and killing of 11 Israeli athletes by Arab terrorists.

Population: 1,241,300.


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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
May 9, 2007

Interview of Mrs. Bush by Gretchen Carlson on FOX and Friends
The Map Room

8:14 A.M. EDT

Q Joining me now from the White House Map Room for an exclusive interview is First Lady herself, Laura Bush. Welcome to you.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks, Gretchen.

Q So, so many people want to know all the details behind the scenes when the Queen was in town. But most importantly, they want to know, did the President break out the cowboy boots again today, now that he doesn't have to be so formal?

MRS. BUSH: Well, I will have to say that there was a little bit of a sigh of relief, although sort of a letdown, too, I think, after all the festivities were over. I can really tell the American people are very, very fond of Queen Elizabeth, and it was a thrill to get to be with her and then to get to introduce her to a lot of people.

Yesterday I went to the National Children's Medical Center with her, and we saw patients that are there and the families of patients. And I could tell they were very happy to have Her Majesty visit that hospital.

Q I'm sure that they were. Now, everyone knows that most wives and families have a lot of influence over their husbands. What did it take for you to convince the President that he really had to put on that white tie?

MRS. BUSH: Well, it wasn't easy. Not really. He was very happy to have a very formal dinner, because if you're going to have a formal dinner, this was the perfect time for it, when you have the Queen of England as your guest. But he did complain just a little bit, and Condi Rice and I talked him into it. So he was happy to wear white tie. And I will say, from the photographs yesterday from the newspapers, when you saw Peyton Manning in his white tie, and Calvin Borel, the winner of the -- the jockey, they looked very elegant. So I hope men know how elegant they look in white tie.

Q So many people talked a lot about the etiquette that you have to have when you're in the presence of the Queen. And I'm wondering, you're the First Lady of the United States, do you have to follow that same etiquette -- for example, not speak to her until she speaks to you?

MRS. BUSH: Sure, I mean, I would wait until she put her hand out to put my hand out to shake hands. But she's actually very easy to be with. She's very lovely and warm. And so it was really not that difficult to always be aware of what's proper, but at the same time, to have a friendly conversation.

Q Is that the only person, First Lady, that you would have to defer to? I mean, in that type of situation?

MRS. BUSH: Well, I'm sure there are a lot of people around the world that I would defer to, definitely, a lot of leaders in other parts of the world that, when I meet, of course, I'm on my very best behavior. And I would expect that American people would expect that both the President and I would do that, out of just courtesy.

Q All right, I have to ask you about the President's faux pas, because a lot was made about when he talked about the bicentennial and accidentally said 1776. But we were kind of having a bet here on Fox and Friends that maybe, in fact, he did it on purpose. What is the truth?

MRS. BUSH: No, I can assure you he did not do it on purpose.

Q So it was actually just a little Majesty --

MRS. BUSH: But she got back at him last night in her toast at the British embassy at the reciprocal dinner when she started her toast by saying, you said that I was with you at the bicentennial -- or at the 1776, and got a great laugh from the audience. And the President admitted to her he couldn't top that with another one-liner.

Q All right, a lot was made about what you served at that dinner. What did the Queen decide to serve at the dinner for you last night?

MRS. BUSH: Well, they had a beautiful dinner for us, starting with smoked salmon as the appetizer, that was great. And then they had veal and wonderful potatoes. And then they had a very traditional English dessert, summer pudding, that was great, with clotted cream.

Q No fish and chips?

MRS. BUSH: No fish and chips.

Q All right, First Lady, if you'll stick around with us, I hope, for just another moment, we want to talk to you about what you're going to be involved with today -- the national dropout rate. Stick around and we'll be right back with First Lady Laura Bush in just a moment.

* * * * *

Q More of our exclusive interview now live with First Lady Laura Bush. She joins me from the White House.

First Lady, I'm interested in knowing what you're taking part in today, the nation's Summit on America's Silent Epidemic. You're going to be giving the keynote address, talking about the crisis of the dropout rate in our nation's high schools. I think a lot of people think that this is not a problem anymore, but obviously it is.

MRS. BUSH: It is, it's a huge problem, and we had a report, research that was done on the actual numbers of high school dropouts in the United States. It was done last year, 2006, and this summit is in response to that.

What we found was that a lot of high schools and school districts were not reporting their number of dropouts accurately, and in fact, over a million American students drop out of high school every year, and half of African American, Hispanic and Native American students, ninth-graders, don't finish high school on time with their class.

And so today's conference, which includes the Education Department, the National Governors Association, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a number of other stakeholders are meeting to try to address this problem to see what we can do.

When you ask students why they drop out, a lot of them say because they really weren't prepared for high school work, that they couldn't keep up in high school. And so that makes it even more important for us to make sure children are learning to read when they're in elementary school and are prepared.

And I want to encourage parents, if you know your children are desperately unhappy in high school, look around and see what you can do to help them, see if you can find a teacher at their school that will be an advocate for them, see if you can get tutoring for them. There is some money under No Child Left Behind for tutoring for students. But stay involved in your child's education.

Q And you would know.

MRS. BUSH: Children whose parents are involved really do a lot better.

Q Yes, you would know, as a former librarian and teacher. And you bring up the point of parents, which is where I was going to go next. I was looking at the top five reasons -- you cited some of them -- as to why kids leave high school. One of them -- 38 percent of the people who responded said, hey, I just had too much freedom and not enough rules in my life. And I'm wondering, that comes back to the family life, and to the parents of these kids.

MRS. BUSH: That really does. And so parents need to remember that even their high school students need parenting. Parenting isn't just for little kids, although that's certainly very, very important. But high school students want their parents to stay involved in their lives. And if parents are supportive of their kids, even their high school kids, go to the schools, go to the games, go to the plays in the drama department. Do all of those things, and your children are much more likely to be successful.

Q All right, so there is a website, this new online resource that you're kicking off today, www.silentepidemic.org. It's going to be unveiled today. But the interesting thing is, is that people will be able to go on this website and see the data about their own local school system, correct? And find out where, in fact, their kids are dropping out, at what level.

MRS. BUSH: That's right, you can go on this website -- this morning at 9:00 a.m. it will go up on the Internet -- and you can type in your own school district and see what your dropout rates are. You can also see at what grade most students drop out, and ways that your own community can address this problem at home in your own school district. And that's going to be a very important piece of it, because the federal government can't reach into every single school district, but local community people, school advocates, teachers and principals and parents can reach into their own districts and see what they can do to address the problems of their students who are dropping out.

Q All right, a little bit earlier, Mrs. Bush, Steve Ducey, sitting next to me, was talking about the Dewey Decimal System. And he was wondering -- I was wondering, actually, does it still exist? In the age of computers and the Internet, does it still exist in our libraries?

MRS. BUSH: Absolutely. The Dewey Decimal System is used in some school libraries, but really most public libraries now use the Library of Congress system. And now the great news about computers is librarians don't have to catalogue every single book, but you can easily find all the catalogue information on every book for a library. And so that made libraries a little bit easier. But I will admit that our books in our library are in Dewey Decimal order. (Laughter.)

Q All right. Well, since you have -- since you have so much influence on the home front, as well, when I was at the White House Christmas party, and you were gracious enough to take a photo with my mom and with the President, I did say to him, now, we always have an open seat for you on Fox and Friends. I'm wondering, Mrs. Bush, with your influence now, you got him to wear the white tie; could you get him to come and take a seat with us here for a morning on Fox and Friends?

MRS. BUSH: I'll try to. Thanks, Gretchen.

Q All right, great to see you.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks a lot.

Q Good luck today on the nation's summit. Again, it's www.silentepidemic.org. Find out what your local dropout rate is and see what you can do about it.

Thank you so much, Mrs. Bush, a pleasure to speak with you.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks a lot, Gretchen.

END 8:26 A.M. EDT

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Updated: How to upload a screenshot to Facebook

Updated 2013/07/29: Facebook has changed where to find the settings described below. Updated the link to display the current information from Facebook’s Help Center.

If you want to share screenshots via Facebook, there is an easy way to do so with Greenshot: simply use the so-called post-by-email address Facebook has set up for you.

In case you do not know your post-by-email address, you can find it out very easy, Facebook’s Help Center entry tells you how to do it.

Once you know it, the rest is quite easy: Take a screenshot with Greenshot and use the E-Mail feature with your upload email address to upload it to Facebook. If you want to add a description, you can do so by typing it into the E-Mail’s subject. That’s it :)

P.S.: Of course we are aware that Facebook offers interfaces to upload images directly from a desktop application. But as there is no Facebook Plugin for Greenshot yet, uploading it via email is currently the easiest solution to share your screenshots on Facebook.

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10 Tips to Avoid Common Internship Pitfalls

Sure, you'll make coffee during your internship, but you'll also want to make a lasting impression on employers and colleagues. Here's how.

illustration by Kim Foxillustration by Kim Fox

So you landed your dream internship, huh? Bet you’re feeling pretty badass, but don’t let your confidence turn into cockiness and even worse, laziness. As you gear up for that big fall semester internship, check out our tips below to avoid the common intern pitfalls.

You’re constantly told that the entertainment industry is tough enough to find an entryway into, so why risk your foot-in-the-door with poor internship behavior? Believe it or not, some internships still turn into full-time jobs – yes, even in this economy.

1. Look alive, kid.
It may seem like the most “duh” tip in the world, but you’d be surprised how many interns sit around doing nothing. Stay busy. Get involved. ASK to get involved if no one has specifically assigned you a task. Ask to shadow someone, even. Find out who the people are who may need help and make an effort to connect with them. Uncover ways to have something to do every day you work. No one’s going to think, “Wow, he did such a good job sitting around looking bored, I think he deserves a glowing recommendation.”

2. Do as told, not as you see.
Full-fledged employees, even assistants, have different expectations and allowances than you do. Just because you see an employee — whether it’s your intern supervisor or the “big, scary boss” — do something against the norm, do not assume it’s an example for you to follow. If your boss comes in late one day or every day, or takes a super-long lunch, that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable for you to show up late or take an afternoon gallivant away from the office.

3. Follow directions, follow directions, FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
It’s great if you have an idea of how you would like to complete a task given to you by a supervisor, but if he or she provides you with specific instructions, follow them. Going above and beyond what is expected of you is appreciated, but even if you do, just make sure you are also following the initial instructions. Those in charge are happy you’re there to help, and they should be willing to explain instructions they provide you with – but ultimately, they’re hoping you’ll do things in the way they took the time to specify.

4. Bring a pen, notepad, and your ears.
On a related (and totally basic) note to “follow directions,” make sure you have the right tools to take notes on tasks assigned to you. No one was ever yelled at for being over-prepared.

5. Spread your social wings – yes, even if it’s awkward. You might just find yourself a mentor.
Get up, walk around, show them that you enjoy being there – even if it is an unpaid internship, as these things typically are in the entertainment industry. You may have a designated intern coordinator or structured program (especially if you’re at a larger company), but that doesn’t give you an excuse to only talk to the person who gives you orders and your fellow interns. Learn what people do in different (but related) departments. If someone has a job that you see yourself in down the line, don’t be shy about learning more about what they do – and most of all, how they got there. People generally love talking about themselves, so most don’t mind taking a coffee or lunch break so you can “pick their brain” (a good general phrase to throw around in these circumstances) about their work and their career paths. You may just find yourself a mentor, which is crucial – beyond crucial. Having a mentor before you enter the job market is going to keep you sane, trust me. They’re most likely the person you can ask all your panicked, “what do I do?!” questions to without feeling like too much of a newb.

6. Seek out the youngest people who work there.
Going along with tip #5, it’s never a bad idea to start with the younger, more junior folks working at the company when it comes to networking. That may seem counterintuitive (because you assume they’re not senior enough to get you a job down the line), but there are a few reasons why it’s actually a smart move: They’re probably some of the most recent folks to be hired, so they know the current employment process; they’ve probably interned not too long ago; they’re generally less intimidating and completely swamped than say, a VP or GM. But most of all, if they graduated in the last few years and managed to get a job in the entertainment field so quickly, they’re probably doing something right – something you might want to know about.

7. Don’t assume that you “got away with something” if no one yells at you.
Let’s say you come in really late one day without telling your supervisors, but they don’t bring it up. You may assume they didn’t even notice, so you think it’s OK.

Don’t continue to, for example, show up late, call off excessively (and/or with flimsy excuses), skimp out on or pass off your duties, leave early, or dress inappropriately just because you think you’re “getting away with it.” Especially if you’re an unpaid intern, your supervisor may not feel as comfortable reprimanding you for certain mistakes. But people are most likely taking notice, making a mental note, and generally not keeping you in mind for a full-time position or glowing recommendation.

8. Speak up if you feel overwhelmed or confused.
This is always preferable to dropping the ball on a task, especially if you have more than one person assigning you tasks and working with you at your internship. It’s OK to say no – that’s why people at your internship may ask you what you’re working on or if you are free. You don’t automatically have to say yes, and it’s OK to explain what you have on your plate. This is preferable to missing deadlines.

Live Free and Work Hard

Unpaid apprenticeship has become the norm for those looking to break into competitive media fields. Here’s a guide to navigating the good, the bad, and the ugly.

9. Don’t fall asleep at your desk!
Don’t laugh. I’ve seen it.

10. And finally, some words of wisdom for you budding creative professionals, from “This American Life” host Ira Glass.
NPR hero Ira Glass makes a case for sticking through your early years in his oft-quoted ramblings: “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take a while. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”Get In Media

In addition to being a writer and editor for Billboard Magazine and Billboard.com, Jillian Mapes is Billboard’s intern coordinator. Two years ago, she was just finishing up her internship at Billboard.

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1 Comment

Great tips!

I read this pretty throughly and kind of don’t want to do an internship if I don’t have to. I came to school to further my education in music and have hands on experiences through assignments. If I do intern, hopefully there will be some kind of compensation. I won’t intern where I am not taking seriously and asked to do petty non music related tasks. It seems like some people are being used when they intern and not having a fun hands on learning experience. I strive to be the best and just want to be taken in, in a professional manor. Though I am early in my career I believe I have something to offer to all companies that are as passionate as I am about music. I am hard working and am always trying to come up with newer different ways to produce music and create weird and exciting new sounds. I better my self by studying books about mixing and mastering, while reading online articles to stay current at the same time. I just want to help others create great sound and great music and compose sounds and melodies that WOW people. I do realize I may have to start on an entry level; but I will surely feel disrespected if asked to dust the studio or do other tasks that aren’t music related. This article is definitely great in tips! Thanks!


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Bánh Tráng Phơi Sương Pork and Herb Wraps – 271 of 365

Herb Basket and Lunch Set Up

The Tweet in response to my recent meal at Ba Xi in District 3 at 135 Vo Van Tan Street was simple…”Next time try the banh trang phoi suong at the same place – best dish in Saigon.”  I dragged a friend who is a quite squeamish about eating Vietnamese food to the restaurant to give this one a try.  How someone manages to subsist in a country without even eating the cuisine is beyond me, but that is a story for another day.  Recommendations from people in the know rarely disappoint, and this one was no exception.

First to arrive was a giant silver basket stuffed with every herb known to Vietnam.  Had this been bought at an American grocery store, I can easily see spending $20 on the contents jammed in there like some sort of herbal flower arrangement.   Double that price at Whole Foods!  We had no clue if proper herb protocol dictates whether one is allowed to gorge on the entire basket, but we did.  No one seemed to bat an eye as its contents were whittled down one stalk of leaves at a time.

Next came cucumbers along with pickled miniature onions, carrots, daikon and garlic.  And just an observation here…A pickled vegetable has yet to cross my path in Vietnam that I haven’t liked.  Herbs, pickles, hot pepper paste and a dip made from fish sauce.  What other flavors could a guy possibly ask for with a meal?

Making the Wrap

The pork was soft, moist, and truly good, but much to the chagrin of the waitress I peeled away the fatty edges and quickly discarded them like yesterday’s trash.  Yeah, I know.  The fat is from where all the flavor is supposed to burst forth.  But the fat is also what waistlines suck in first, and of course turning into a seething mass of blubber the size of Jabba the Hut is not in my plans over here.  So far so good in that area I am happy to report.  I have actually lost a bunch of weight since starting this food journey.  Maybe I can market the Vietnamese Diet and make millions one day.  Move over Hollywood and Atkins Diets.  But I digress.

Each piece of rice paper is a blank canvas for piling on this gluttony of ingredients.  Just as I was admiring my handiwork of herbal ecstasy stacked to new heights, the wall mounted fan’s breeze made its sweep and blew it all over the floor.  Oh man.  How could I make such a rookie mistake?  I saw two waitresses snicker and point.  Oh well.  I am glad I can at least provide this joint some entertainment.

I could eat bánh tráng phơi sương over and over again and I assume it maintains some modicum of healthiness with all the various greenery ranging from purple perilla to coriander.  At least I keep telling myself it was healthy.  Aren’t green leafy things what they keep telling us to eat more often?  I stuffed my food hole with the recommended daily allowance and then some.  Actually the waitress glanced over at our now depleted basket and said, “Choi oi!” which means “oh my God” in her vernacular.

Bánh Tráng Phơi Sương

I say choi oi as well in terms of just how enjoyable this one is.

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Categories: Vietnamese Food

One Comment on “Bánh Tráng Phơi Sương Pork and Herb Wraps – 271 of 365”

  1. September 6, 2012 at 8:13 pm #

    Good stuff!

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Wednesday, June 15th, 2011...11:54 am

Food Trucks for Long Island Weddings DETAILS & IDEAS

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Food trucks.  Yep, they’re rapidly gaining in popularity among couples getting married on Long Island and the boroughs, as a unique alternative to the traditional catering company.   Not only are these trucks offering a twist on the traditional wedding, but often they can be much cheaper than the standard catering.   Options include the GHT Rolling Kitchen (Grey Horse Tavern in Bayport), the Rolling in Dough wood fired pizza truck (Ana Wintour sent the truck to her house for a family gathering) and even Indian cuisine via Tandoori Truck Catering Company!   For more on this new trend, take a look at this recent Wall St. Journal article.


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Friday, May 12, 2006

150: “This Primary Election is Very Important!”

67: “This Primary Election is Very Important!”

Tony Phyrillas is an outstanding, prolific and very competent writer who also happens to be right. The City Editor of the
Pottstown Mercury, Phyrillas also writes a blog using his name as a title: Tony Phryillas. Tony has drawn the lines for next Tuesday’s election.

It is probably the most important Primary Election ever in Pennsylvania.

If you’ve heard this once, you’ve heard this many times from me. I think Tony says it better, though. This is a must read.
Your future is at stake on Tuesday
By Tony Phyrillas

Eight out of 10 registered voters usually stay home on primary election day in Pennsylvania. If that trend continues this Tuesday, we're doomed.

I've written nearly 50 columns in the past 10 months about the sad state of affairs of Pennsylvania government. Each column averaged 850 words. That's more than 42,000 words I've used to try to get through to readers that time is running out.
If you care about your family, you must vote Tuesday.

If you care about your children's future or your grandchildren's future, you must vote Tuesday. If you care about your job, you must vote Tuesday.

If you believe that government should fear the people instead of the other way around, you must vote Tuesday.

If you believe that power should rest in the hands of 254 self-serving, career politicians (the most expensive legislature in the country and a governor who has a mortgaged Pennsylvania's future to the casino industry) instead of the 13 million Pennsylvania residents, send the same people back to Harrisburg and forget about open, honest, accountable government in your lifetime.

I've given you dozens of arguments why reform is needed in Pennsylvania. I've given you numerous examples of how our hard-earned tax money has been wasted by a political aristocracy that lives in luxury while the rest of us struggle to pay our bills. I've made you aware of a handful of heroes who are fighting to make things right in this state.

If you are contemplating voting for an incumbent on Tuesday, stay home. Clearly no measure of reason, no amount of logic, no levelheaded argument will ever get through to you. You’re either related to a politician or you benefit financially from having a particular incumbent in office. Otherwise, you’d vote for change.

The revolution has begun. The people won important battles. On Nov. 8, the voters rejected the retention of a state Supreme Court justice for the first time in
history and nearly ousted a second justice. A week later, a fearful Legislature repealed its outrageous 2005 pay grab. Since then, the people have shamed 30 incumbent legislators into retiring rather than face the voters in 2006. And a record number of challengers emerged to take on incumbents this year.

The decisive battle to retake this state back from the political elite will come Tuesday. If the voters can knock out at least 50 incumbents, the political warlords who control Harrisburg will lose their grip on power. We, the people, will gain the advantage and we will continue the revolution through the Nov. 7 election.

It all comes down to Tuesday. Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, young and old must unite to take back Pennsylvania. We deserve better. How many of you show up at the polls and how many do the right thing will determine Pennsylvania's future. There's nothing else for me to say on the matter.

I will leave you with some comments from three astute political observers that put Tuesday's election into perspective.

Terry Madonna, a political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College, had this to say on why reform hinges on the May 16 election results: "If incumbents win, I think it's all over. It's all dead." Madonna also warns about the death of competition in Pennsylvania elections: "If we don't do it now, the incumbents will continue to get re-elected."

Brad Bumstead, a political columnist and state capitol reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, wrote this in a recent column, "Voters, save yourselves," about the consequences if the party bosses retain control: "It's scarier than a Stephen King novel. Here's the scenario: All legislative leaders win in the May 16 primary. Then what happens? Will we see a reign of terror against taxpayers and journalists? It will set back efforts to reform the General Assembly for, perhaps, a decade. It would be a dark chapter in Pennsylvania history."

Russ Diamond, the founder or PaCleanSweep and independent candidate for governor, had this to say on what happens if challengers fail to outs incumbents: "The Legislature is capable of anything. I wouldn't put it past them to reinstate the pay raise unless a substantial number if legislators are swept out of office this year. Imagine if we can't dump these people after what they've done to this state. What kind of message does that send?"

E-mail Tony Phyrillas at
Thank you Tony. You are another in a long list of Citizen-Patriot Heroes. I pray the people “get it”. There is so much at stake in this election.

Spread the word, folks, and prepare for rain. It will likely be wet on Tuesday if the forecast holds. Don’t let that stop you from voting! You won’t melt, I promise!

Remember, even though party doesn’t normally enter into a Primary Election, this one is different. This time it is us against the incumbents.

Let’s start turning them out of office, folks! Let God sort them out.

“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!”

“Be steadfast in your anger, be sure in your convictions, be moved by the right and certainty that abuse of power must be defeated at every turn; uphold Liberty as the just reward of a watchful people, and let not those who have infringed upon that Liberty steal it away from you. Never loosen your grip on Liberty!"

“Legislation without representation is tyranny.”

Remember in May! Before you vote,

Copyright © 2006: GettysBLOG; All Rights Reserved.

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Nature’s cure

Been camped next to the freezing snowmelt waters of the Ovens River near Bright for nearly a week and I am convinced it has restorative powers.

True, the camp might simply have coincided with my ongoing recuperation, but I’m giving Mother Nature the nod.

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Guide to Ghostscript source code

Table of contents

For other information, see the Ghostscript overview and the documents on how to build Ghostscript from source, Ghostscript C coding guidelines, drivers, the Ghostscript library and how to install Ghostscript.

Conceptual overview

The Ghostscript source code is divided conceptually as follows:

PostScript interpreter:
     PostScript operators      z*.h and z*.c
  Other interpreter code   i*.h and i*.c
  PostScript code   gs_*.ps
PDF interpreter:
  PostScript code   pdf_*.ps
Graphics library:
  Main library code   g*.h and g*.c
  Streams   s*.h and s*.c
  Device drivers   gdev*.h and gdev*.c
  Platform-specific code   gp*.h and gp*.c

PostScript Interpreter

gs.c is the main program for the interactive language interpreter; gserver.c is an alternative main program that is a rudimentary server. If you configure Ghostscript as a server rather than an interactive program, you will use gserver.c instead of gs.c.

Files named z*.c are Ghostscript operator files. The names of the files generally follow the section headings of the operator summary in section 6.2 (Second Edition) or 8.2 (Third Edition) of the PostScript Language Reference Manual. Each operator XXX is implemented by a procedure named zXXX, for example, zfill and zarray.

Files named i*.c, and *.h other than g*.h, are the rest of the interpreter. See the makefile for a little more information on how the files are divided functionally.

The main loop of the PostScript interpreter is the interp procedure in interp.c. When the interpreter is reading from an input file, it calls the token scanner in iscan*.c.

idebug.c contains a lot of debugger-callable routines useful for printing PostScript objects when debugging.

PDF interpreter

The PDF interpreter is written entirely in PostScript. Its main loop is the .pdfrun procedure in When the PDF interpreter is configured into the build, it redefines the "run" operator to test whether the file is a PDF file. This redefinition is near the beginning of

Graphics library

Files beginning with gs, gx, or gz (both .c and .h), other than gs.c and gserver.c, are the Ghostscript library. Files beginning with gdev are device drivers or related code, also part of the library. Other files beginning with g are library files that don't fall neatly into either the kernel or the driver category.

Files named s*.c and s*.h are a flexible stream package, including the Level 2 PostScript "filters" supported by Ghostscript. See stream.h, scommon.h, and strimpl.h for all the details.

Device drivers

The interface between the graphics library and device drivers is the only really well documented one in all of Ghostscript: see the documentation on drivers.

In addition to many real device and file format drivers listed in devs.mak and contrib.mak, a number of drivers are used for internal purposes. You can search lib.mak for files named gdev*.c to find almost all of them.

Drivers are divided into "printer" drivers, which support banding, and non-printer drivers, which don't. The decision whether banding is required is made (by default on the basis of how much memory is available) in the procedure gdev_prn_alloc in gdevprn.c: it implements this decision by filling the virtual procedure table for the printer device in one of two different ways.

A good simple "printer" (bandable) driver to read is gdevmiff.c: it's less than 100 lines, of which much is boilerplate. There are no simple non-printer drivers that actually drive devices: probably the simplest non-printer driver for reading is gdevm8.c, which implements 8-bit-deep devices that only store the bits in memory.

Platform-specific code

There are very few platform dependencies in Ghostscript. Ghostscript deals with them in three ways:

The platform-specific implementations of the gp*.h interfaces have names of the form "gp_{platform}.c, specifically (this list may be out of date):

Platform-specific interfaces
Routine      Platform

gp_dosfb.c   DOS
gp_dosfs.c   DOS and MS Windows
gp_itbc.c   DOS, Borland compilers
gp_iwatc.c   DOS, Watcom or Microsoft compiler
gp_msdos.c   DOS and MS Windows
gp_ntfs.c   MS Windows NT
gp_os2.c   OS/2
gp_os9.c   OS-9
gp_unifs.c   Unix, OS-9, and QNX
gp_unix.c   Unix and QNX
gp_sysv.c   System V Unix
gp_vms.c   VMS
gp_win32.c   MS Windows NT

If you are going to extend Ghostscript to new machines or operating systems, check the *_.h files for ifdef on things other than DEBUG. You should probably plan to make a new makefile and a new gp_XXX.c file.

This section is only for advanced developers who need to integrate Ghostscript into a larger program at build time.

The Ghostscript makefiles are meant to be organized according to the following two principles:

Thus, for example:

For MS-DOS and MS Windows builds, there should be:

and so on.

Copyright © 2000-2006 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved.

This software is provided AS-IS with no warranty, either express or implied. This software is distributed under license and may not be copied, modified or distributed except as expressly authorized under the terms of that license. Refer to licensing information at or contact Artifex Software, Inc., 7 Mt. Lassen Drive - Suite A-134, San Rafael, CA 94903, U.S.A., +1(415)492-9861, for further information.

Ghostscript version 9.16, 30 March 2015


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Apple Rejected Google Apps Because They Were Better

apps-final-21Google today made public the redacted parts of its  letter addressed to the Federal Communications Commission written after Apple had rejected the Google Voice application from the iPhone. The redacted portion of the filing shows that Apple did reject Google Voice and Google Latitude, a location-aware application, mostly because they were better than, or performed the same functions as, the iPhone maker’s pre-loaded software. In its filing, Apple told the FCC that it hadn’t rejected the Voice app, it was only studying it.  But this little contradiction shows how in the world of Apple, no one shall sit higher than the king. From the letter:

Apple’s representatives informed Google that the Google Latitude application was rejected because Apple believed the application has the potential to: i) replace the preloaded maps application, (ii) create user confusion since the preloaded maps application on the iPhone is a version of Google Maps, and (iii) offer new features not present on the preloaded maps application (which might also contribute to the user confusion referenced above). The Apple representative indicated that the company did not want applications that could potentially replace such functionality and potentially create user confusion.

While this is a bum deal for Google (although the subsequent publicity around Apple saying one thing to the FCC and telling Google something else may benefit the search firm), Apple doesn’t have to let others play in its playground, and I’m unclear as to what the FCC can do even if it wants to force the company to open up its device. Om has argued that this fight shows how Google and Apple are increasingly encroaching on each other’s turf, especially when it comes to delivering a mobile web experience. And when giants fight, it’s the little people who get crushed.

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Toyota Texas Bass Classic Boosts Fishing, Conservation, Education
Sep 20, 2013 | 1322 views | 0 0 comments | 20 20 recommendations | email to a friend | print

Toyota Texas Bass Classic Boosts Fishing, Conservation, Education

ATHENS—At first glance, the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) is just another fishing tournament.

But no other fishing tournament in the world can match TTBC’s record for partnering with anglers, the fishing industry and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in support of fishing, education and conservation.

  • In the last six years, the TTBC has raised $1.5 million to support fishing and outdoor education programs of TPWD.
  • Through its support of TPWD’s Neighborhood Fishin’ Program, the TTBC has made 300,000 catfish available in metropolitan areas throughout Texas, enabling more than 80,000 people annually to fish close to where they live. About half those people are first-time anglers.
  • TTBC funds have provided a Take-Me-Fishing trailer and nine “how-to-fish” videos that have been featured at 74 events and reached more than 40,000 people. The videos have been viewed online by more than 200,000 people.
  • Funds from the TTBC support the Texas division of the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, making the Texas contest one of the largest in the country. Some 3,000 young Texas artists have entered the contest, which uses science, art and fishing to interest youth in the outdoors.
  • A top concern among bass anglers is survival of the fish they catch. The TTBC pioneered and each year showcases a tournament format that ensures a near-100 percent survival of fish caught in the tournament. TPWD hopes the TTBC tournament format will become the model for bass tournaments across the country.
  • Anglers are heavily involved in efforts to improve fish habitat in reservoirs, and TTBC is an active partner, providing funds for a fish habitat improvement project on Lake Conroe that won a Texas Environmental Excellence Award in 2013.

Fishing is big business in Texas, a $2.3-billion industry that attracts 1.85 million anglers. The TTBC showcases all that is best about fishing, from exciting competition to an outdoor expo that gives families a chance to learn about and experience a variety of outdoor activities from casting to archery to rock climbing.

This year’s Toyota Texas Bass Classic tournament will take place at the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center in Conroe, 50 miles north of Houston, October 4—6. Free tickets are available at Houston-area Toyota dealerships and Academy stores or online at

Each evening of the three-day tournament features performances by top names in country music. Friday entertainment will be provided by the Eli Young Band. There will be three performances Saturday afternoon and evening, by Southern Slang, Lee Brice and The Band Perry. Sunday concerts will be by Thompson Square and Gloriana. The 6:00 p.m. evening concerts will be preceded by exciting weigh-ins of the day’s largest catches by the 50 anglers competing.

Each day will feature the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Family Fun Zone and a food court that includes some of the top food trucks from the area. A barbecue cook-off will take place Saturday. Gates open to the public at 2:00 p.m. Friday, October 4, and at noon Saturday and Sunday.

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Sunday, July 8, 2012

Celebration and Sorrow...

"Change is inevitable, Growth is intentional."

The last couple of weeks I have found myself with feelings of sorrow.  Sorrow anticipating that on July 9th, it will be two years since dad died. On July 9, 2010, we were getting ready to celebrate...celebrate my oldest son, Thomas' 17th birthday. My phone rang as Rebecca and I were picking up some last minute items for Thomas' party...our celebration turned into sorrow.

I was looking through some of Sara's quotes tonight and this one stood out to me..."Change is inevitable, Growth is intentional." Isn't that true with everything in life? Things are always going to change, whether it is at work or in our personal life, change is inevitable.

Two years ago on July 9th, was the start of significant changes in my families life. We lost one of the greatest men on earth (according to us anyway). I know Sara already shared a lot about dad...his gentleness, unwavering trust in God, gentle spirit, LOVE for life, family and friends, and on and on it goes.

What I also know about dad, is that he would not want us to be sorrowful, he would want us to be intentional about celebrating.  Celebrating a life lived to its fullest, celebrating a man who was the greatest dad, husband, son, brother, uncle, friend, etc. that God could have blessed us with.

Thomas told me he and grandpa now share a very special day. Sure, there is our human sorrow that will always be there because we miss his big heart...his big life. But, we will not only celebrate Thomas' birthday on July 9, we will also celebrate dad.

Dad was not only a role model to me, but was also a role model to my children, his grandchildren. Dad taught us all to live intentionally, so that is what we will do. We will take the change that God gives us and intentionally use it to grow...grow in His glory.

Because as Sara would say..."This world is not about us, it's about what He does through us."

Let's intentionally celebrate life today...July 9th...

(Happy 19th birthday, Thomas)

I am going to celebrate the life of my dad and my son, Thomas.  I am so very proud of and grateful for them both!  Thanks, God for blessing me...big! I love you both..."all the way around the world and back." ~Gitz
...and into the heavens...

Thanks also for each of your continued love and prayers....we are grateful for all of you!


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IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Hands-On: Meet Voltron. He Could Be Amazing.

Let's clarify two things right away: first, the Ideapad U1 hybrid notebook tablet is still in the very rough stages of development. Second, it's going to be awesome—if it can live up to its potential.

Let's review the concept quickly before we get into the details. The U1 is literally two separate devices, joined together and made to play nice. One is a multitouch tablet that runs Linux and has a speedily efficient Qualcomm ARM 1Ghz Snapdragon processor running the show. The other is a Windows 7 notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU 4100 processor.

The build is like Lenovo's other IdeaPads, except for the translucent red top that houses the tablet. When the base and the slate are linked up, the latter acts as an 11.6-inch, 720p (1366x768) monitor that looked crisp despite being saddled with Intel's integrated graphics. The (non-chiclet) keyboard is based on the current lineup of IdeaPads, and both it and the touchpad worked smoothly. The U1 we saw wasn't set up to do much other than web browse, and pages loaded quickly. The notebook has built-in Wi-Fi, but can also run off of the tablet's 3G connection, which I can see being a pretty great benefit for times when wireless isn't readily accessible.

IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Hands-On: Meet Voltron. He Could Be Amazing.

The fun part, though, is unclasping the tablet from its shell. It's firmly latched in, which is more reassuring than frustrating. Once removed from the notebook, there's a two or three second lag before the Snapdragon processor kicks in. It's not seamless, but it's close enough. Tablet mode greets you with a six-panel screen of apps similar to that of Lenovo's Skylight smartbook. The selection is limited for now, but Lenovo will be opening up the SDK to developers soon to give you more to play with than the standard YouTube, Gmail, and Facebook-type options.

IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Hands-On: Meet Voltron. He Could Be Amazing.

You can also enter a type of content mode, which divides up your stored files between music, video, images, and documents. With the multitouch interface, you can quickly jump among all four, and adjust how much of the screen is devoted to each. The resistive screen was good, but not great—it at times took some pretty insistent pressing to get the response I was looking for. The viewing angles could also use work; unless you're looking nearly dead-on at the display, you're pretty much out of luck.

I was impressed by the sound quality—not excellent by any means, but better than I expected from a tablet device. One immediately obvious downside is the total absence of ports on the tablet other than the docking—there's not even a headphone jack. It's configured for Bluetooth, but I'd still like the option to plug in my buds. The tablet also currently lacks an accelerometer, so there's no way to orient documents or images based on its position. This is hopefully something that will be addressed before its release.

I said the two devices are totally separate, and I meant it. There are advantages and disadvantages to this set-up. On the plus side, while the tablet is undocked, you can hook the base up to a monitor and get full notebook functionality. If you remove it during web browsing, the tablet remembers which site you were on and places you there automatically (and vice versa). In fact, when I had Gizmodo in notebook mode and removed the slate, it automatically took me to the mobile version of Giz.

The down side is that right now, web pages are the only things that are transferable this way. If I were working on a document in notebook mode, there's no on-the-fly transition once I pop out the tablet. You can drag and drop, but a more seamless transfer would be helpful. It would also be nice to be able to control the tablet remotely with the base, but once they've separated there's no interaction between the two. Again, these are things that may or may not be addressed by the time the U1 comes out in the second half of this year.

IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Hands-On: Meet Voltron. He Could Be Amazing.

About that release: it's up in the air right now as to when you can get your hands on one of these, because of all of the tweaks that need to be made. It will also be crucial for Lenovo to be able to build up a decent store of apps for the U1 and the Skylight if these are going to have any functionality beyond very basic web browsing and media playback. And for an estimated retail price of $999—minus whatever subsidy they're able to get from a partner carrier—that functionality had better be there.

All in all, the U1 is a slick device, if a little undercooked. If nothing else, I'm excited to see how far they can take this concept once they put it in production. But no rush, Lenovo. If you take the time get it right, it'll be something special.


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Is This the Best or the Most Evil Parenting Trick Ever?

I don't know who had the genius idea—and courage—to stick this post-it on their fridge door but, as evil as it may seem for kids all around the world, it's the best parenting tip I've ever seen on this age of underage internet junkies.

You may think it's the evilest, though. Discuss. [9gag via Fuckyeahdementia via Buzzfeed]


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Easily Update Ancient Stereos With ION Audio's Bluetooth Cassette

You may have convinced your parents to upgrade to a smartphone or a tablet, but that monstrous ancient stereo system in their living room that served them well in the 1980s isn't going anywhere. Thankfully, ION Audio's new Cassette Adapter Bluetooth is a ridiculously easy way to get their old and modern technology to play nice together.

It's all but guaranteed that your parents know how to use an audio cassette, and that's about as difficult as this rechargeable wireless adapter gets. The Bluetooth receiver automatically turns on when it's inserted into a boombox or a car's outdated stereo, and then switches itself off when it's ejected. And while availability and pricing haven't been revealed yet, it's safe to assume this adapter will be a lot cheaper than replacing your parent's beloved sound system. [ION Audio]


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iAno iPhone App Gives Your iPhone C-Minor Key

Between iAno - the newly released iPhone app that turns your cellphone into a piano - and the earlier released PocketGuitar, which does much of the same but with a guitar, it is only a matter of time before we see the first iPhone band. That will be awesomely groundbreaking, and what we ask is that you send us the… » 2/16/08 5:30pm 2/16/08 5:30pm