Rock'em Schnockem - daily(ish) amblings through life, liberty, work and baseball

2012-02-12T21:46:00.001-08:00

Nico and the ladybug
by Schnack

2012-02-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

Nico and the ladybug (oldie from my drafts)
by Schnack

2012-02-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

The wildly gorgeous atrium of the San Jose Tech Museum

2012-02-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Zoo-mania.

Um, buddy. Mind wiping?

Nico starring in a picture I took 4 years ago - which the zoo snagged for an exhibit!

2012-02-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

Securing the high ground @ Quail Hollow

2012-02-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

Bugs that crawl - and sting - @ Quail Hollow, Felton.

2012-02-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

The Pond @ Quail Hollow. Beautiful. Serene. 10 minutes later, I snapped pictures of a rat corpse and played with a scorpion.

Awesome.

2012-02-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

Fungal Fun @ Nicene Marks, Santa Cruz

2012-02-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Shrooming around in Santa Cruz (Quail Hollow)

2012-02-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Quail Hollow has it all - Flowering mosses, smiling kids, and stinking carcasses!

2012-02-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Flowering Moss on Quail Hollow tree trunks

2012-02-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Lady bugs from September

2012-01-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

I used to dump coffee into my dirty 16 ounce mug, dump it down my throat, and repeat this from dusk till dawn without a thought.

Then I discovered Blackflower Tea. And my life changed.

Now, I boil water. I steep loose leaf tea. I savor it from clean cups and travel mugs. I actually notice how it tastes – imagine that!

So please – whether you’re from Santa Cruz or somewhere across the continent. Whether you crave the smoky calm of English Breakfast, the buttery linger of Oolong, the pungent skunk of Gunpowder Green, or the sharp spice of Chai, you can’t go wrong with drawing outside of the lines and brewing a pot of Blackflower Tea.

http://twitter.com/blackflower
http://www.blackflowerandcompany.com/

2011-12-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Dropping Presents Down the Chimney

2011-12-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas @ Marianne's Ice Cream, ~2007

2011-12-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Des Moines Register,

Living in the wake of 10 years of top-down assaults on both the economy and the nation engineered by a bi-partisan cabal of Deciders and Professors, I am disappointed that you dispatch Ron Paul’s approach to peace & prosperity as “something this nation can’t afford.”

The one thing we can not afford to do is REPEAT the policies that brought us to our state of long unemployment lines and longer TSA lines. An economy addicted to cheap money and zero responsibility will continue to fail. A nation that insists on handing in its liberties in return for false security will deserve to fail.

And a paper that doesn’t recognize this? I’ll leave that answer to your readers.

Best regards from a proud but expatriate Iowan,

Brian Schnack,

Santa Cruz, California

2011-10-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Crazy news day: Nico hunts bugs @ Quail Hollow, cops hunt thugs @ Watsonville

2011-10-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

A little bit of peace in the backyard

2011-10-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

An ode to Quail Hollow

The place is a jewel. Nothing fancy, just a magic little spot far away from both the hustle of Silicon Valley and the waves of Santa Cruz. A getaway to kick dirt, spot hawks, wonder at Alice-in-Wonderlandian fluorescent mushrooms, uncover scorpions, handle snakes, net bugs, scramble after salamanders, keep an eye out for small deer and big cats, and in general just be a kid with your kids.

2011-09-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Big Cockroach on Big Island of Hawaii dying a Death by a Million Tiny Ants

2011-09-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

Nico vs the Not-So-Itsy-Bitsy Spider (circa 2008)

2011-09-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz Spider, surfing in the breeze

2011-09-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Herp Corpse in our backyard (looks like riparian newt?)

2011-09-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Winning run crosses plate before 3rd out @ 1st for @sjgiants on 8/21's 3-run 9th inning rally (@dwighta @jwarren463)

2011-09-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Life and death, through the lens of a spider and one poor fly

2011-09-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

One of the cutest lad(ybugs)ies in my life

2011-09-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Me and the lady(bug) in my life

Re: Delta travel on August 5, 2011: Please tell us how we did.

2011-08-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

Excellent service. My baggage -- for my family's vacation in Hawaii -- is STILL unaccounted for and you send mr a survey about a DIFFERENT bad service experience?

Tell us where our bags are.

Brian and Pam

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 7, 2011, at 7:45 AM, Delta Air Lines <acs.survey@delta.com> wrote:

Dear Pamjean,

We are very sorry that your flight was delayed on August 5, 2011. Your feedback on this experience is important to us. We ask that you please provide feedback on your experience using the survey at the link below. The survey is between 4 and 12 questions, targeting your specific circumstances, and should only take a couple of minutes to complete. We thank you in advance for your feedback and again offer our deepest apologies for this inconvenience.

Survey: http://delta-acs.com/survey/src.php?id=46419&batch=478&og=SFO&dt=LAX&ag=ZZZ&h=h&c=n&d=41&n=n&o=n&r=n&f=1306

Sincerely,

Delta Air Lines

If you would like a response to your comments or concerns, please visit www.delta.com/help/contact_us/.
To opt-out from any future mailings, please click here.

*******THIS IS AN AUTO-GENERATED EMAIL. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE*******

An ode to @deltaassist #fail

2011-08-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

Intro: I'm in Kona with family. 24 hours after landing without our baggage, we still have no idea WHEN they plan to get 'em here.

But wait - at least they had their act together (18 hours into this) enough to tell me 'we will send them to you SOMETIME. Stay tuned.'.

Sometimes companies shouldn't bother trying to set already low expectations. Especially with responses like this:

(correspondence begins here)

Dearest Delta,

Excellent. It took 18 hours after my claim for Delta to tell me you're going to send me my luggage -- sometime?

You have my email and my cell phone on file. While I'm sure things are busy, waiting for me to complain is horrible service .

Brian

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 6, 2011, at 10:59 AM, Delta Air Lines <kana@delta.com> wrote:

<DR0RV8_Customer Care Email delta logo.gif>

Dear Mr. Schnack,

Thank you for your e-mail to Delta Air Lines. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

Current information indicates that your baggage has been located and is on hand with United Airlines in Los Angeles. I have requested that both bags be forwarded as soon as possible to Kona. Upon arrival into the local Baggage Service Office, it will be set up for delivery.

We will consider reimbursement for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses you may have incurred during the delay of your luggage. You may go to www.delta.com/baggage/landing.action and complete an Expense Reimbursement Form. You will need the file reference number given to you when you reported your bag delayed and receipts for any purchases made. In the event your software is not compatible with ours, a claim form may be mailed to you.

We hope we have been able to resolve your baggage concerns. Because this department handles delayed baggage tracing only, we are forwarding your email to our Customer Care Department for further assistance.

Again, please accept my apology for the poor impression you received in this instance. We appreciate your selection of Delta and will always consider it a privilege to be of service.

Sincerely,

Delta Baggage Service Center

<DR0RV8_Customer Care Email delta log jv.gif>
<DR0RV8_Customer Care Email delta logo.gif>
<DR0RV8_Customer Care Email delta log jv.gif>

Sent from my iPhone

A birthday sit-down with America

2011-07-02T17:48:00.001-07:00

Dear America,

I think we need to have a little talk. Now that you're another year older, we've gotten around to thinking that, well, maybe it's time you maybe paid your bills and cleaned up after yourself?

I mean, we love you and all, but it's a little annoying with you hogging our bed, raiding the kitchen, snatching cash from our wallets, waking up the neighbors, and playing all high and mighty when we complain. I'd like to see you try to keep the food on the table without us around.

Now that I think about it, I think you need to get a job and move out.

Love,

Americans, co-signed by Brian Schnack

2011-06-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Bug eggs rock.

2011-06-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Red Shoe Dangling, Dancing, Delighting

Okay people. This shoe has been both taunting and welcoming me on my drive back and forth from the 'Cruz to San Jose every day for at least 9 months. It - and until 2 months ago, its partner - is hanging above Southbound 17, right near the Lexington Res exit.

Anyone else see it? Wonder who the heck got it there? And thinks the culprit may be far more talented than any of us could ever hope to be, as well as just a tad diminished due to losing one cool red/glittered low-top?

2011-06-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

My kitchen counter pays tribute to Blackflower Tea and the dance of Ginger Peach.

2011-06-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tide pools in between washes

2011-06-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Bugging me at the beach

2011-06-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sand critters and Nico

2011-05-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ron Quixote, or "An Open Letter to The Economist (and Media in General)":

In end-capping Haley Barbour’s exit from the Republican Presidential race, you throw your periodic wink to the implicitly-fringe candidate Ron Paul and his knack to draw “actual votes” (“Exit a Heavyweight”, April 30^th).

Little would I know based on “mainstream” coverage, but while a Democrat escalates Bush’s wars on immigrants, drugs, foreign nations, and fiscal sanity, the early Republican race includes both Ron Paul and Gary Johnson, two leaders who stand against authoritarian escapades from both the Left and the Right.

So please ask the voting public this: What do we do when the windmills at which so many ridiculed these Don Quixotes for tilting – the debt, the wars, the Fed – turn out to be dragons after all?

Regards,

Brian Schnack

Reference: http://www.economist.com/node/18621236?story_id=18621236, http://twitter.com/reasonmag, http://twitter.com/theschnack, http://twitter.com/govgaryjohnson, http://twitter.com/repronpaul

2011-05-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ron Quixote’s Moment

At what point does a leader whose windmills – the Fed, loose monetary and military adventures, the drug war, civil liberties – do indeed turn out to be dragons get more respect than Rick Santorum?

If the media loathed Bush so much, and seems to trip all over itself crocheting new garlands for Obama, why do they marginalize a candidate who defends freedom of lifestyle, government restraint, and rational martial and monetary policy for a country mired in 4 wars (1 inflationary)?

http://reason.com/blog/2011/05/06/very-grown-up-wash-post-column

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-gop-debate-no-grown-ups-edition/2011/05/06/AFGpl16F_story.html

http://twitter.com/reasonmag, http://twitter.com/theschnack, http://twitter.com/govgaryjohnson, http://twitter.com/repronpaul

2011-04-19T08:28:00.001-07:00

End our government's tempting ability to create the next collapse on the backs of the workers, the savers, the retired, and, yes, the children.

If we measured inflation as we did back in those go-go-years of 1979, we'd be facing 9.8%.

And now, even after rigging the rules, we're facing 5.5% inflation. After nearly 11 years of stagnant wages and investment earnings, after an historic housing collapse which ‘our’ government refuses to let bottom out, after 3 years of a job market that finds over 20% of the eligible workforce working too little or not at all -- after all of this, ‘our’ government insists it can print money to tide over the masses through another election cycle.

Please -- regardless of whether your label to this point has been Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Progressive. Ask yourself whether your unquestioning faith in a government too easily able to inflate, regulate, and invade at a whim is a perfect match for your particular philosophy -- and whether your grandkids' futures are lambs worth sacrificing for your folly.

2011-04-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Ladybug walking through Capitola fire hydrant glistening with fresh dog pee in the California sun (that's almost poetic)

Help Indiana 2nd Graders Travel the World. -Ish.

2011-04-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

Help Indiana 2 ^nd Graders Travel the World. -Ish.

My dear cousin once removed and her second grade class are traveling the world by proxy. And while I'm cheating (what's new), you can help!

Below is a picture of "Flat Akasha", who travels to exotic locales by envelope. And by Facebook, Twitter, and The Intertubes it turns out. Please send a postcard of her travels in YOUR city, addressed by "Flat Akasha", to the following address, to be received no later than May 1, 2011:

Mrs. Zych's Class, Whiteland Elementary School, 120 Center Street, Whiteland, IN USA 46184

Please show this class the world. Thanks!

We are the Driver: The Inherent Failure of Institutions above Individuals

2011-04-12T12:22:00.001-07:00

We are the Driver: Thoughts on the Inherent Failure of Institutions above Individuals

Context: Peter Thiel wrote a simple ode to why the higher education bubble is not only a failure, but deserves to fail in order for today's and tomorrow's generations to achieve what we all (as people and a society) ourselves and collectively deserve. (Link here: http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/10/peter-thiel-were-in-a-bubble-and-its-not-the-internet-its-higher-education/)

This prompted me to go back and dig up an essay I wrote 16+ years ago, on the eve of graduating from the University of Iowa. The future ahead of me, Russian degree, Econ minor, Magna Cum Laude, and bottomless coffee cup in hand, butt on the seat of a “gently used” 1991 Toyota Tercel heading Westward on a bee-line to Silicon Valley. Enjoy.

– – – – –

Next Saturday, I will receive my diploma from the University of Iowa, finally possessing the stamp of approval I always wanted. Pretty soon, a piece of paper will rest in my hands saying that I have a Russian degree with an economics minor. Fortunately, I have gotten more from my four years than a collegiate driver's license. In the process, I discovered a modest but ultimate truth about myself and life in general. It is strange to think about what I expected from college so long ago, when I was in high school considering what I thought would decide my fate: where to get my degree.

I had a Hawkeye family; a lot of you can empathize with me, receiving nothing but cute black and gold sweatshirts or tee-shirts year in year out. But I had no intention of going to the University of Iowa. I had good grades, I participated in school activities--I could have gone to some prestigious institution, so why would I want to stay in Iowa? Since eighth grade I dreamed of going to one of two schools: Claremont McKenna in California or the United States Military Academy at West Point. Though on opposite coasts and in far different environments than I was accustomed to, I knew they were ideal for what I wanted: to be shaped into a great, successful person.

West Point was the first of the pair to disappear beyond the horizon. Though I am hard-working, my motivation occasionally lags, and acceptance into the military academies is no easy task. Besides that, doubts steadily crept into my mind: Did I desire the discipline? Could I handle the isolation? Did I really have the confidence in myself that the academy required? I decided that martial life was not for me. Soon thereafter, the sunny state of California fell out of view; I simply could not afford it. Suddenly, only one option remained near me: stay in Iowa.

As I finally found out, the University of Iowa is a great school. I had some scholarships, which made school cheaper than it already is, and the major I chose, Russian, is pretty strong at Iowa. I did not like how large the school is, but I had a few friends there and I found my little niche, becoming a mediocre rugby player. My freshman year was pretty good: I received great grades, made some friends and even earned a nickname on the team for running around a gas station naked. I guess I would have been satisfied but for the fact that my brother was accepted into West Point. What had once been over the horizon was now beside me again, and I would not let it pass by.

I called the right people, filled out the proper forms and wrote the patriotic essays while ostensibly wrapping up my "final" semester at Iowa. Halfway through my sophomore year, I dropped out of the university so I could jump into the academy. In the meantime I went to Los Angeles to pass my time, living with my aunt, herself a Hawkeye alum. Six blocks from the beach, my life was peaceful. I forgot about school and simply lived, counting down my final months of life as I once knew it. I received my congressional nomination, and in time the army accepted me.

Despite the nerves and occasional second thoughts, I never dreamed of giving up on West Point, which was finally within my reach. That summer, I drove with my parents to New York and became a cadet at what many people call the bastion of what America has been and will be.

Someone said Mount Kilamanjaro, when it all comes down to it, is simply a tall rock. As I quickly found out, the academy is not this mystical body with the soul of America coursing through its veins. It is a school, albeit a unique one. There is a lot of discipline, a lot of schoolwork and little of the outside world. Day in, day out we were repeatedly told, whether by the odes we memorized, the monuments we saw, the speakers we listened to or the upper-class cadets who harassed us, how special we were due to the fact that we were at West Point, the holiest of holies. Gods have been given lesser treatment. And I spited the God.

I did it through a computer program. A friend and I collaborated on a computer programming assignment; finally completing it, we printed out two copies and gave it to our professor the next day. That afternoon, my professor, a Captain in an armor division, summoned me to his office. Now, of the multitude of rules at West Point governing conduct and academics, one stated that all work must be completed by the cadet's own hand. This, oblivious to me, included typed work. My professor found it obvious that I did not type the assignment myself.

A notion I now hold dear is that every individual is responsible for themselves--their choices, actions and conditions. Perhaps I never wholly embraced that thought until the gray afternoon when I lied to my professor, a distinguished officer and graduate of West Point, telling him that I honestly did type the assignment.

The worst thing happened. He believed me. He inquired further, but was willing to accept my word. I anguished; but not the anguish of a cadet who lived under the honor code. I anguished because I let circumstances tear me away from the path I chose toward my own goals. I recall crying as I told my brother that I was turning myself in for an honor violation; I can hear myself releasing my pain as I called my girlfriend and told her what I was going to do; I can see the face of my professor as I admitted to him that I did lie and I could never fully express my regret.

The next four months were long. My professor told me to march onward, and I did--not just through my five classes, duties and rugby season, but through the honor investigations, hearings and a thirteen hour trial. Like all cadets, I was allowed to go home for Christmas, so my case would be decided after I returned to New York. On a very cold Tuesday, January 18, 1994, I knocked twice on the door of Lieutenant General Howard D. Graves. Upon entering, I approached his desk, stopped two paces away from it, offered a salute and reported to him, the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy.

My heart expanded and contracted desperately, like a fist squeezing a neck, as the general asked me if I had anything to say. I admit that any air of eloquence had long since suffocated within me; yet what I would have said and what I did say were pretty similar. I took full responsibility for my actions and their consequences, accepting whatever judgment awaited me, saying that what I learned from my experience would never leave me and has improved me far more than anything else ever could. Furthermore, I was satisfied and content with myself, which is all that truly matters; all that remained was my punishment.

I finally finished. General Graves, a West Point graduate like many of the prominent higher officers, was a Rhodes Scholar. Maybe I should not have expected him to give me wisdom, and there was no reason for him to soothe me as he rendered his judgment, but what I remember him saying are some of the most disappointing words I have ever heard. He asked me what kind of relationship I had with my parents; he inquired of my religious upbringing. When I said I did not have a religious upbringing, he said I should endeavor to strengthen my faith. His conclusion was that I was a flawed individual who was not properly shaped prior to West Point; therefore I should reevaluate my life and return to the academy in half a year, ready to be molded into a correct American. The arrogance of a leader declaring me defective and then telling me he can fix the problem stunned me. This was not just because of his beliefs, but because I, and many others, went along with it for so long, actively ceding personal responsibility to others. The general finally dismissed me; I saluted and promptly left his office. Several days later, West Point was in the rear view mirror as my father drove me home.

Two weeks into spring semester, I was again at the University of Iowa, again by default. Getting my bearings back took a few months, but a year after returning I am ready to graduate. I do not want to sound like I resent being a Hawkeye. The University of Iowa gives one of the best college educations someone can receive.

But when it gets down to it, all that college--like life in general--gives is inputs. People must do the processing. It now seems so clear: it is not only foolish but wrong to depend upon other people or institutions to move me forward. Individuals may need help sometimes, but ultimately they must have the confidence to decide what roads to travel or paths to forge. Alone at the wheel I will drive west after graduating, my diploma beside me telling the world that yes, I did earn a college degree. Besides that, it says or does little else. That diploma may be my driver's license, but I am the driver.

2011-04-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

Adventures in cut-rate human resources:

I was refinancing my house to a basic 15-year loan. All the lender needed was verification of employment.

• She got the email. Nothing.
• She got a phone call. Nothing.
• I sent her a phone call. Quick email back saying, “I got an unsolicited request from someone but I need authorization from you.”
• So I send authorization. Three weeks after this started, the lender gets a fax of a document that had one box checked and a signature with a date. No information filled out other than “Ciena. Currently employed”. No date of service, etc.
• I call back. Nothing.
• I email. I get a response, “This is all I am able to fill out”.
• It was upwards of 5 weeks later and we got something from HR, my current employer, that my 7-yr old could have produced in pre-school (which is @gsschool / Good Shepherd Santa Cruz, you may "Like" us here by the way)

2011-04-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Embrace our future, End our Blight: Skatepark Capitola @ Rispin - http://bit.ly/ehjzEg (editorial by @theschnack in @scsentinel)

Notes:
- Please follow Friends of Capitola Skatepark here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Locals-for-a-Capitola-Skate-Park/185265311504126

2011-03-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

I am hardly a skateboarder, nor is my son (Nico). But I am a husband, father, and friend, a proud citizen who loves the community, and a Capitolan who after spending Monday-Friday crossing over to the “wrong side of the hill” in San Jose, wants nothing more than to live local.

Santa Cruz is a county full of jewels. We take Nico and friends to Quail Hollow in Felton on a Saturday, looking for lizards, newts, and frogs. We go with the guys to Nisene Marks. We go with a gaggle of parents and kids for Sunday morning at the Boardwalk arcade. I run Wally (dog) down to the village and grab a coffee and a bun. We cruise down to the Capitola library to check out the kids science and nature books. We even hit the “Bigfoot Museum” in the hills for a quick shot of local niche kitsch.

More and more often, we drive out of town with a troupe of kids (of all ages) for a few hours of socializing and skating, followed by burritos and drinks. I'd like to emphasize the demographic here – while half of Nico's classmates have skateboards, only a few are what we'd call actual “skateboarders”. The rest are just kids exploring the growing world, and adults rediscovering the lost art of balance. It's a great escape from television, indoor lighting, cars, malls, and Twitter. It's a great time laughing, cheering, whoops-ing, and re-balancing in a life that gets oh-so-out of whack, oh-so-easily.

And also, it's a great escape from the only other safe places for kids to skateboard, bike, and run around – quiet streets, dead-ends and driveways.

Capitola deserves a magnet for kids of all ages to find and secure this balance. This isn't about skateboarding. This is about taking another step to embrace and entrench community in the community. In parallel with the establishment of the the Capitola library as a glowing community hub for individuals and families, located up the hill from the Village, and nestled in a sadly neglected stretch of riparian wonder, a skatepark at Rispin is one piece of a larger effort to attract balance to our local lives:

Add to and reinforce the Capitola library, playground, and Soquel Creek riparian park as a city jewel owned by the people – not owned by blight
Establish an open, visible, people-friendly park in what is now this blighted, shadowed location lurking directly across from the library
Provide the opportunity (and frankly the excuse) to clean up the Rispin area not just in terms of blight, but to re-establish and preserve its natural value. Namely, ridding invasive species, reintroducing native species, and securing native flora and fauna such as the local butterflies, birds, and herpivores
Get people out of their cars, and onto their own feet or wheels. As the City Council knows, Capitola is obligated to find a way to reduce its carbon footprint to 1990 levels by 2020. We will not do this by motivating more car-trips out of town

The right approach to a skatepark integrated into a larger scheme in the Library / Rispin zone will secure a crossroads in Capitola that attracts the right balance of commerce, community and nature. In cooperation with the library, the riparian zone, and conveniently upstream of the hearts of Capitola & Soquel Villages, while down the street from 41^st Avenue's shops, the Rispin area is the right spot for a local life too often deafened by the noise of commercials, conflicts, and long commutes.

Let's embrace an alternative to that noise.

Links: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Locals-for-a-Capitola-Skate-Park/185265311504126

2011-03-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Love being left stranded on the curb? You’ll love @SuperShuttle

Let me tell you a story about possibly the most incompetent customer experience I've received since flying America West during a 2006 blizzard.

On 3/17/11 at approximately 4 pm Mountain Time, I booked travel for SuperShuttle to pick me up from SJC airport and drive me to SFO (where my car was, after having to change return flights). I paid $50 in advance and received confirmation by email. They had my mobile, my money, my flight details.

Typically upon landing, I would expect an email or phone call telling me where to meet the shuttle. However, 20 minutes after landing, I still received no update from SuperShuttle. So I called them. After enduring a 15 minute, I finally reached a human, who proceeded to sigh when I asked for the status on the shuttle. She put me on hold for 5 minutes to "give me a status". Upon returning, told me that dispatch would call me "in 5 minutes" and tell me where to meet my shuttle.

It's now almost 10 pm. I'm still 3 hours away from home. After waiting patiently for 20 minutes for a callback -- over 60 minutes after they were supposed to pick me up -- I called them back. After enduring another 15 minutes on my SECOND failed call with them, I hung up and got a better, friendlier, just-as-affordable ride from another shuttle. I finally got to SFO, got my car, and got home after midnight.

Let me emphasize -- nobody called me back, nobody emailed me back. They took my money, but literally left me by the curb. Over 18 hours after taking my money, over 12 hours after failing to pick me up, I still heard nothing from the company that had my email, my phone number, and, yes, my money.

This is not a company that deserves customers.

(Note this is a cleaned up version of prior post)

http://www.supershuttle.com/

2011-03-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Robbed? #Fail @SuperShuttle cc: @bbb_us #sjc #sjo

Going to #SXSW? Want to not be robbed like I was on St. Patrick's Day by @SuperShuttle? Think I'm ranting? Read on:

Dear @SuperShuttle:

I booked travel for you to pick me up from SJC and drive me to SFO. I paid in advance.

20 minutes after landing, I still received no call from you. (Customer advocacy?) So I called you. After 15 minutes, I finally reached a human. She put me on hold for 5 minutes to "give me a status". She then told me that dispatch would call me and tell me where to meet my shuttle.

20 minutes after this, no call. So I called back. It's now 60 minutes after my scheduled pickup -- with NO contact from your customer-first organization. After waiting 15 minutes on my SECOND failed call with SuperShuttle, I hung up and got a better, friendlier, just-as-affordable ride from another shuttle.

Now here we are, over 12 hours after you were due to pick me up for a service that I have paid for. Have you contacted me yet to either apologize or cancel the trip? And refund me for the fees you have received from me on fraudulent terms? What do you think.

You failed, and barely even tried.

cc: @bbb_us (http://twitter.com/bbb_us)

2011-02-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

Nico channeling the upright stance (but not the loose morals) of Steve Garvey: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a2WOyJWco23my8MnM7LYK-llSD0ovx9VfOd61p8mq7k?feat=directlink

2011-02-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

Not @jwarren463’s greatest baseball moment but…

I love baseball; grew up watching the Iowa Oaks-cum-Cubs in Des Moines. Still get teary, thinking of Maddux, Fletcher, Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Pat Tabler and others. But for some reason, somehow, my favorite player was and is Matt Walbeck.

Well, not “Somehow”. I was at a game with Jeff (*), sitting right down first base at Sec Taylor and a sitting area full of beers and hot dogs. I was off to West Point (briefly, ahem) in a few weeks, and it was some last hurrah. The game progressed, and we’re talking about awesome stuff like Darryl “Goggles” Porter, UL Washington, and the meaning of life. So the game gets to the bottom of the ninth, two outs, the Cubs down three with the bases loaded. Mighty Matt Walbeck comes to the plate. I vowed (drunk) to my friend that if Wally hit one out of the park, I'm naming my first kid Walbeck.

Well, the ball flies out of the park, homerun, Cubs win. I head (briefly) to West Point, keep daily track of the no average, no power, no arm stud named Walbeck. He ends up doing some cool things (steals home, catches a no-hitter), logged quality major and minor league time, racked up legendary anti-value points on Hacking Mass, and is now a rather successful minor league manager.

And I have a dog named Wally.

* http://twitter.com/jwarren463

2011-02-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Play ball, compliments of the Blue Jays (A) Capitola-Soquel Little League Baseball team.

Here's a string of photos from the team taking their first whacks of the year at today's bat-a-thon.

Sean Barnes gets credit for taking first pitch, getting first hit of what looks to be a fun year of swinging for the fences...or at least the deep infield.

(Nico is #10)

https://picasaweb.google.com/theschnack/CapitolaSoquelLittleLeagueBlueJays?authkey=Gv1sRgCK_-3NHrp8mxvwE#

2011-02-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

Witness to history – the greatest baseball moments you’ve seen in person

Musings before First Pitch of 2011.

What are the greatest baseball moments you’ve seen live, in person?
• Dusty Baker not bat Neifi Perez leadoff?
• Pedro Feliz take a strike?
• Dusty Baker not bat Royce Clayton cleanup?
• Those three innings in which Pedro Feliz’ OBP rose above his BA?

Nope. Me? Mark Whitten’s 3K, 2BB, 1HBP, 1ER mop-up inning in 1998 against the A’s (http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitema01-pitch.shtml)

2011-02-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

"What is Bombo Rivera doing in my Bed?"

It’s midnight. I’ve caught up with emails, paid e-bills, caught up with what world-altering things my friends are up to, done my rounds of pushups, planks and prison-squats during an episode of Fringe, and may have flushed the last serving of coffee from my system. I’ve read my 10-20 pages of the latest SF, baseball, and/or libertarian tract.

So it’s time to sleep.

But….

I’m wired. My kid alternates between elbowing my head, snoring in my ear, and planting boogers under my pillow. I’m thinking about the alarm set to go off @ 5:55. The neighbor’s dog is barking. It’s raining for the 27.5th straight hour and I still haven’t replaced the cover for our grill (but I prefer veg, so that’s Pam’s issue).

So out comes the old standby. (No, not that). The ABC’s of going to sleep.

Go from A to Z with countries. Or with places you want to visit. Or authors you’ve read. Or girls you wish you said yes (or at least “not really but what the heck”) to.

Or you could do it with movies. Cars. Commie politicians, filling in the voids with simply corrupt ones when you hit a blank. Famous battles. Songs. Vegetables. Predators. Current uprisings against oppressive states (DC can go under both “D” and “W”! Bonus!).

You could do it with the Russian alphabet.

Or with baseball players.

Lists and baseball players are perfect mates, something terribly rare in this messy world of (gasp) personal interaction and relationships. Without going all nostalgic on you, my brothers and I grew up in Iowa fighting, clawing, and collecting baseball cards. In the days before the internet and ESPN, baseball was played in my head and on the living room floor in piles of Topps cards. Oohing and ahhnig at the likes of accidental All-Star Alfredo Griffin, or guys whose crazy parents named them after The Saviour.

Like with the other lists, but particularly with baseball, this becomes a picaresque journey through your life thus far, but in the comforts of both your bed and head. Baseball’s funny like that. The obscure is made not just tangible, but more important than other things, people, events.

Take a card in a box in my closet, or rather my memory of opening and seeing him on it, blazing in his pinstriped black and canary yellow glory, which roots me more than anything else to Newell, Iowa. The dime store we walked a mile down Fulton to for our cards, outside of which Todd opened the pack containing my crown jewel: “Fernand” Valenzuela’s rookie card. It’s a direct link from that dime store, that devalued-by-too-many-hard-innings rookie card, to our move to the big city later in 1981. And to a public school that taught Russian. And art, particularly a grade-school clay sculpture of a dude with a spike through his head and eyeballs hanging by his optical cords. From there it’s just a short series of hops to my bed in Santa Cruz (okay, Capitola), California: Burt Hooten, Bob Welch, Mel Hall, Pat Tabler, Tom Niedenfuer, Kirk Gibson, Shawon Dunston, Matt Walbeck, Mike Piazza, the ubiquitous Neifi Perez, Cody “Flub that Grounder” Ransom, Armando Benitez, all the way from bowl-cut Iowan to the family of Nico, Pam and me at Buster Posey’s call-up game.

And such a personal-yet-universal list, not to mention a tool for getting-the-heck-to-sleep, may go like this:

Joaquin Andujar. Interesting tales.

Bombo Rivera. A hero to Twins fans everywhere. While other guys hit one, this guy hits a-pair-a. Alternate: Steve Balboni. Better yet: Tim Belcher. Why? See below.

Chan-ho Park. See above. Alternate: Bobby Castillo (1981: he and Mark Cresse are my first baseball autographs, followed later by I-Cub Joe Carter).

Doug DeCinces. Or two “awesome” contracts to avoid repeating at all costs: Denny Neagle. Darren Dreifort.

Julio “Live Forever” Franco. Dude hit a homer at age 49. Very quotable: “Tell Andy Van Slyke he's right — I'm on the best juice there is. I'm juiced up every day, and the name of my juice is Jesus. . .”. Alternate – and quite a crazy tale – is Charlie Faust. This guy grew up in the middle of nowhere, was told by a gypsy that he’d lead the Giants to the Series, stalked McGraw, pitched awful in a few games, got sick, died.

Alfredo Griffin. Went to All-star weekend with a buddy, Alan Trammell gets sick, the manager picks him (he of the many errors and the mid-600 OBP) as replacement. Obvious alternate: Steve Garvey. Less-so (but hilarious train wreck): Pedro Guerrero.

Burt “pickin my nose on national TV in the ’81 Series” Hooton. I saw this from the guy who pitched the first live game I ever saw, and was shocked. Of course, I was also shocked when I learned dudes leave their wives and have babies with other women. (See above)

Dane Iorg. Hero to Royals fans everyw… meh.

Every player named Jesus. As a white Germano-Iowan growing up in homogenous rural Lutheran Midwest, I thought that was crazy. The only thing I knew about Mexico was, well, my uncle spent time in the Dominican Republic. Close is good enough for kids and in games like horseshoes and hand grenades. Alternate: Danny Jackson. Second alternative: Shoeless Joe.

Tim Kurkjian? No. Jason Kendall. Slappy. Dude with one of the sickest injuries all 5 Pirates fans could ever hope to see. Alternate: Kiki Cuyler.

Kenny Landreaux. An unheralded Dodger “great” in whose name I dropped many balls in the backyard.

Immediately Minny Minosa. Or Omar Moreno.

Tom “Ozzie? A Grand frickin slam to Slappy McCartwheel?!? Then a blast to Jack Clark to lose the Series? You bstrd!” Niedenfuer.

Oddibe McDowell. Alternate: Ozzie Smith. See above. Jerk. Or if I have to use “O” as last name, I guess…. Jesse “Franco retired before I did? Really?!” Orosco.

Pat Tabler? Kirby Puckett (too obvious). Nope: Darrell “Goggles” Porter, whose sad death was foreshadowed by those dang glasses.

Dan Quisenberry. A multi-inning fighter in pitching and life.

Bill Russell. Member of the greatest, most enduring infield ever. Tim Raines. Joe Rudi. Did I mention Bill Russell? Bombo Rivera. (There he goes, in my bed again)

Steve Sax. The Bill Blass of the infield. Occasionally great bat, range, arm, and ability to injure folks down the first base line, whether in All-Star games or Playoffs. Alternate: Brian Schmack. (See: W for Walbeck)

Dickie Thon. Mike Torrez. Scary, amazing tale if you don’t know it.

Willie Upshaw. Seriously. Remember him? Alternate: Jose & Juan Uribe. Bob Uecker.

Frank Viola. Another awesome Twin.

Matt Walbeck. Join the fan club here . Hero. Grand-slamming legend. In terms of wins-above-replacement-player, one of baseball’s all-time greats in terms of racking up negative-value. In his last month of his last season in the bigs, he was battery mate to another journeyman dreamer: Brian Schmack.

Xavier Nady. Kenny LandreauX. Mike MaddoX. My favorite: Barry (Rx) Bonds.

Garo Ypre… wrong sport. The Yaz. Joel Youngblood. Old friend Andy Tomes will remember days and nights playing RBI Baseball in his ‘apartment’ in Iowa City, drinking warm beer, eating cold pizza, huddling in front of a 12-inch TV duking it out to the classic tunes. I pinch hit Joel Youngblood for someone in the bottom of the 9th, down 3, 2 outs. Given my proclivity to strike out, not to mention his generosity, Andy put one over the plate and I / Joel (channeling Matt Walbeck circa 1993 Iowa Cubs) sent it into the seats. Interesting story about Youngblood’s contribution to baseball (not just Iowa City) lore here. He played for two different teams on the same day.

Todd Zeile. Indirectly, the reason why I partied up and down the Trotter Street neighborhood the night the Giants won the pennant. Why you ask? When Fox traded Piazza to the Marlins for Charles Johnson, Todd Zeile and a few other things, my Dodger fanboy fled into the past.

Much like my mind does most nights somewhere between a warm bed, my kid’s elbow, and thoughts of Bombo Rivera.

Art

2011-02-19T09:41:00.001-08:00

Ahh, mid-1980's grade school art, from Clegg Park, West Des Moines Iowa.

2011-02-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

The New Year looking up at Quail Hollow

2011-02-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

For Pam, from Lazy (and Nico): A heart full of hugs and smooches

To a Daily New Year

2011-01-03T14:07:00.001-08:00

Here's to a life filled with wondrous perspectives, treasure hunts in rain and cold, surprises both slithery and less-so, and appreciation for both good, bad & times inbetween while welcoming the years to come with a healthy combination of open arms and raised brows.

Not to mention a clenched fist or two…

2010-12-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

The Circle of Life @ Quail Hollow Ranch (post-snack deer guts)

2010-12-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Through the looking glass @ Quail Hollow: Arboreal Salamander: http://www.scparks.com/quail_hollow.html

2010-12-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

More Flora @ Quail Hollow: http://www.scparks.com/quail_hollow.html

2010-12-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

Curiosity didn't kill this Ca(t)lifornia Roughback Salamander

2010-12-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

Nature in motion - Salamander swimming upstream, escaping man @ Quail Hollow, Felton, CA

2010-12-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Flora @ Quail Hollow Park, Felton, CA. Check out Nature's Goo in the tree.

Fauna, or Goop?

2010-12-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

Nico's version of through the looking glass

What is Cloud Computing?

2010-12-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

@Ciena 's Chris Janz on what Cloud Computing means to our mutual success: our customers, our partners, ourselves

FCC: Your 20-yr marriage is more responsive than most Americans’ broadband connections

2010-12-10T08:56:00.001-08:00

LightReading reports on FCC's broadband report. While some hairshirt-wearing types from Berkeley object to the data sets and means of measurement (they should spend more time auditing the Fed's, not the FCC's, numbers), the report itself shows that a majority of broadband subscribers have connections slower than 3mbps downstream. On the other hand, mobile broadband subscribers jumped 48% to 52M.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=201716&site=lr_cable&f_src=lrdailynewsletter

3rd Party Developers to CSP APIs and SDKs: Zzzzz

2010-12-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

Follies and false starts – 3^rd Party Developers have typically said "Zzz" to CSP APIs and SDKs. Is this changing? For what markets?

(referring to @light_reading, @lrlive webinar: http://www.lightreading.com/webinars.asp)

Liberate the Market to Bridge the Divide

2010-12-07T15:09:00.001-08:00

NTIA report on the Digital Divide. Read deep enough and realize that greater flexibility of technology and spectrum "standards" can greatly liberate the market to bridge the divide -- not just with concrete, but with a fluid model of technology and services.

http://www.cio.com/article/634079/NTIA_Report_Broadband_Divide_Still_Exists?source=rss_all

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn99/

2010-12-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

Nico Catches Herps (and it didn't hurt one bit)

2010-12-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

Kids in Santa Cruz go CRAZY over mushrooms (@Quail Hollow)

When Latency & SLAs are Measured in Launch Cycles

2010-12-03T08:25:00.001-08:00

Clear, provocative assessment from Bluwan's Shayan Sanyal. Rockets and satellites are cool technology, but bridging the digital divide can neither solely nor primarily rely on services for which Latency, SLAs and MTTR are measured in LAUNCH CYCLES, not human cycles.

http://telcoprofessionals.com/ShayanSanyal/blog/864/

2010-11-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

Sean - Good Shepherd kid, Better sk8r - at Jose Avenue Skate Park

2010-11-10T07:05:00.001-08:00

Gigabridges to Nowhere: The hubris of building fixed lines to unfixed populations, fixed services to unfixed consumer preferences. As in "Gigabridges to nowhere do not bridge the digital divide".

A coming series of examples to occasionally follow.

Cheers @ssanyal, @theeconomist and myself (@theschnack) for being so darn creative

Links: http://www.economist.com/node/16994760?story_id=16994760 , http://twitter.com/ssanyal, http://twitter.com/theschnack, http://twitter.com/theeconomist

2010-11-03T22:24:00.001-07:00

Winding up (London) Welsh

I woke up on the kitchen floor. My head hurt, my mouth tasted like I smoked a wino's wallet, and my right buttcheek was bleeding through my boxers, sticking to the blanket sprawled between the sink and fridge. I never have been happier.

Rugby is a savior. It kept me sane at college. It was one of my few joys in my "year" (cut short by getting kicked out…) at West Point. It found me my first roommate, my best man, and my wife (not the same person, thank you) out in California. It gave me scars to laugh and cringe at, tales to tell and bury under rocks, and people I both love and hate.

Maybe I'm preaching to the choir. The greatest thing about rugby is the camaraderie. I came out to California, an Iowa boy with a Russian degree. What was my first step? Find a rugby team. Back in California, we had guys on our team from all over the place – there's French Mike 1, French Mike 2, English Mike, Dutch Mike, Japanese Mike, and even Ohio. So most of 2004, I found myself working in London, just hoping to find that rugby is universal.

A few months into my gig with BT, I still hadn't found a rugby team. We were into the thick of the season, and most of the answers to "Yankee looking for a team" were, "Come by and try out, then we'll see." That was fine; obnoxious Americans can find plenty to do in London. In-between work, pubs, seeing Big Ben a few dozen times, pubs, curry, and pubs, I ran into a local law school practicing in the park. Their classes were oh so long, their professional careers as solicitors and barristers were oh so near, and their rugby days were oh so far in the dusty past of middle school and "Uni". The guys were out of shape, the team play was sloppy, and a bald American like me was their main force – but it didn't matter.

It was fun while it lasted. We had a few practices the following week, were slaughtered by some other law school, and the season pretty much ended with a long pub crawl through some sleepy section of southwestern London. As quickly as it started, it ended, with the guys needing to crack-down for their examinations.

So life reverted back to a cycle of work, sleep, calling my pregnant wife (different tale), and pubs. One fine London day found me in the Nordic Bar. I was drinking with this buddy of mine, the law school team's fullback with no foot and even less of a desire to tackle, complaining about the damn socialists and the fact that I couldn't find a social club to play with. Out of the (smoke-choked) blue, some guy at the bar shouted to me, "Oy – try the London Welsh Occasionals."

I did. Boy did I ever.

And that's how I both found the London Welsh Occies and myself with a bloody ass in Brooksie's kitchen.

(Links to the London Welsh RFC, London Welsh Occasionals [Occies], and BPP Law School)

2010-11-03T13:47:00.001-07:00

Sigh. Thought I was being cute coining "Gridlocracy", my favorite form of government in a two-party state.
So while Huffington Post beat me to it, here's to adding it to your Microsoft spellchecker. And thanking it as the President conveniently moderates his tone on the policies of growth and prosperity, while hopefully emboldening the administration to truly differentiate Democrats from Republicans on policies of Defense and Civil Liberties.

2010-10-31T22:35:00.001-07:00

Going into the 2010 season, would this lineup be more scary to Giants fans or opponents?
Your World Series San Francisco Giants Game 4 Winning Lineup:

Starting battery of two dudes who started the season in the minors
Their DH was a cast off (Aubrey Huff), who replaced the benched Tampa Bay castoff
Their Left Fielder was a waiver wire pickup
Centerfielder? Journeyman with breakout season at age 34
First baseman and Rightfielder combined started less than 20 games this year, with RF making first start since JULY
Third baseman? A utility stud on the best of teams, a hero on this one
Shortstop missed most of the last two years and over half this year. And he's retiring after the series. Maybe.
Second baseman missed most of last year
Their leading bat from last year didn't play. Again
Their Cy Young, $126M pitcher isn't even on the roster

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/10/31/world.series.game.4/index.html?eref=sihp

Moh!Desto

2010-10-25T19:29:00.001-07:00

In the mood for a Tiki Bar/ Chinese Restaurant. In Modesto? Well then, set your taste expectations to numb and your style expectations to stun because you just have to get to Minnies to believe it.

And, to top it off, if you have a 6 yr old son with you, be sure to point out the nekkid Tahitian princess black velvet paintings in the bar. Priceless.

(Link to Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/minnies-chinese-restaurant-modesto#hrid:m6Qk_Ljw1hGGZfFeB4X6iQ)

2010-10-19T11:51:00.001-07:00

Sadly, the public sees regulators for the consumers protected, not the services prevented. http://bit.ly/c1w5cK @givoly @amdocsinc @guehenno #netneutrality
(Cheers to my invocation of Hazlitt's and Rothbard's metaphors of the statist inability to see the cost of the unbuilt, versus the glory of the built)

2010-10-15T16:04:00.001-07:00

Holy Forecasts of Horrors from Election Day 2008. Looking back at my journal (yes, I said that):

Obama's about to get elected over the husk of "Great American McCain", and (Proto-Libertarian) Barr ran a horrible race. Prediction: Republicans post insane gains in 2010 in a country with higher taxes, higher spending, troops still guns-a-blazing abroad and retreat on neither the wars on drugs, terror, civil liberties, or general sanity. Culture wars v2.0 break out with Red v Blue. Democrats thought since Bush & Co were morons, they had a mandate to socialize America. In good news, the pressure from 2010 electoral reversals makes Obama tack Right(ish) for the rest of his term, he's re-elected with a Republican Congress, and a stalemated DC is neutered for the betterment of humanity while both sides do enough dumb things for another legitimate Paulian/Libertarian candidacy in 2012.

2010-10-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

Holy evolution of grinning pumpkins, Batman! Cheers and apologies to @tacanderson: http://tacanderson.com/the-evolution-of-batman-logos-is-like-font-pr

Ankiel's Decade in 2 Plays

2010-10-09T08:36:00.001-07:00

Ankiel's Decade in 2 playoff plays 10 yrs apart: 10 yrs ago, we watched him heaving wild pitches in the playoffs for the Cardinals.

10 yrs later we see him launch one from the plate into the water -- as starting centerfielder for the Braves.

A well-deserved 'wow'.

2010-10-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

nico. goofy foot. shredding concrete. eating concrete.

Flexible Politics, Inflexible Policies

2010-09-17T15:40:00.001-07:00

An open letter to politicians and policy wonks, via the lens The Economist's recent coverage of Australia's Labor/Green Coalition.

Sir,

Ironically, while both Political Coalitions and Telecommunications Markets are subject to whims and winds of change, Australia's new coalition government owes its tenuous existence to inflexible industrial policy ("Victorious, Just", September 11th).

As Mr. Windsor, Australia's swing-vote Parliamentarian, showed his flexibility by backing the Gillard Labor/Green coalition, he showed equal inflexibility by backing old approaches to delivering Broadband. Mr. Windsor was right when saying, "Do it once, do it right." However, instead of opting for flexible delivery systems utilizing a hybrid of radio spectrum, satellite, and fiber which allow both re-scaling and re-deployment as demand and demographics evolve, Australia's Fiber Broadband plan is a capital intensive fixed effort that will trench, tunnel, and spend its way to fixed locations with fixed services, resulting in miles of fixed broadband giga-bridges to nowhere.

Regards,

(Co-Signed)

Brian Schnack, Twitter: @theschnack

Shayan Sanyal, Twitter: @ssanyal

Holy Hibiscus Juice and Veggie Burrito

2010-09-13T20:34:00.001-07:00

My new favorite taco bar in Santa Cruz (Live Oak): Leo's Taco Bar:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/leos-taco-bar-santa-cruz#hrid:PUwMdhN6ODpEjNzbNKUVEQ

Two words: Hibiscus juice and vegetarian burrito for cheap.

Awesome, fresh, cheap, tasty goodness with friendly people in a great neighborhood. Great servings, fresh veg options (not just lettuc and beans), and to top it off -- Hibiscus Juice.

Go here. You deserve it.

2010-09-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

My Legoland Highlight: the Latrine Jail Cell

2010-09-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

Nico en Fuego

2010-09-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Nico en Fuego

2010-09-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Summer fling in Monterey between Nico and a Blue Damselfly

The Vandals' "What about Me" (First Grade Santa Cruz Punk Version)

2010-09-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Nico's fresh new Santa Cruz Punk take on OC Punk's Finest: The Vandals

Consumers win the battle of OTT players

2010-09-01T17:35:00.001-07:00

What a crazy world. 15 years ago, we at Diva Systems (and elsewhere) were dreaming of what growing share of the growing "Home Entertainment" Pie Video-on-Demand would capture. Projections for growing household aggregate spend, with exploding VoD share, abounded. With low set-top costs and increasingly low-cost, high-quality streaming of an increasingly infinite content library, the world was our oyster.

But something strange happened.

Supporting the right piping into the right type of carrier walled garden was prohibitive enough without the obvious resistance of content providers. But while 1990's "Hollywood" was not the most receptive to streaming media services, the content providers were the least of our worries.

Each service provider had its own idea of what business model was right for them. We both had grand notions of being alternately the pipe, the programmer, and the pretty face of a new world of Home Entertainment. They sell, we license. They bill, we rate. They brand, we market. They package, we produce. They answer the phone, we support. They install, we fix. Or not. And so forth through a variety of shades, each one unique per partner agreement.

What will happen? Which player will win? I think, as Amdocs consistently shows, the right question is which PLAYERS will win. The right business model supported by the right ecosystem of partners, technologies, and pipes will happen. Who knows who will win, but if a market marked by dynamic disruption continues, there is one clear winner – the Consumer who is getting their much larger Pie for a much smaller-than-expected Penny.

(Response to Tal Givoly's Blog: Why OTT Video Might Not Be So Disruptive After All: http://blogs.amdocs.com/talgivoly/2010/08/10/why-ott-video-might-not-be-as-disruptive-after-all/ )

ATT, WGN Provide New Views on Same ‘ol Cubs for Fans

2010-08-09T13:01:00.001-07:00

News of WGN's "Multi-view interaction" for Cubs broadcasts are yesterday's news. The Cubs, via WGN, already provide multiple views to Cubs fans:

1) Far from Pennant / World Series

2) Sub-.500

3) Toward next year

Why Let the Defendants into the Courtroom?

2010-08-05T15:31:00.001-07:00

Would #netneutrality proponents please allow throttling of services & service levels (voip, video) regardless of provider? #fcc #google #vz #tlot

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=195454&site=lr_cable&f_src=lrdailynewsletter

2010-08-03T17:01:00.001-07:00

Great post on North American carriers' moves away from All You Can Eat to a Chinese Menu of informed choice & transparent pricing / consumption. Aka, how do the carriers retrain their XXL users toward M Opex and L/XL Returns?

"End of All You Can Eat" @connectedplanet / @amdocsinc http://bit.ly/9cY6Dr

FourSquare Cardinal Sins, or, “Or Do I Care?”

2010-08-02T12:11:00.001-07:00

Spot-on post from @ssanyal and @mobileslate on FourSquare Etiquette, or, rather, Cardinal Sins: http://bit.ly/9yKbXR.

Twitter, and more particularly FourSquare, are brilliant tools for discovery, for serendipity, for sharing mindfully (or blasting) with your circle (or indiscriminately gathered list) of friends (or stalkers; or suckers you yourself stalk) insights (or noise) that come to mind (or expel violently from your fingertips) as you go about your daily (or minute by minute) life (if that's what you call it).

Joking aside, it's clear that Mindfulness is key. With streams, posts, media and thoughts mixable every which way into your primary or secondary networks (not to mention searchable history) in, well, a variety of ways intentional or not, the key thoughts are:

What am I using this "tool" for (because yes, it's a tool)?
To whom am I communicating?
Projecting what?
Or do I care?

The last one is interesting, and apparently most people go into "social media apps" with that as their default. Yes, life is naked. While I love the thought that "since work/life is increasingly indistinguishable then why not just embrace it", not everyone feels that way. They may be wrong (and Lord knows my next employer better be either an Anarchist or Ambivalent…). But while it's cool to know that we have the tools to "discover" that Eddy loves Farmville so (painfully) much, and Jo definitely (daily) goes gaga over "Yum! Nachos!" @ [Some random TexMex Joint Near Work] via 4sq, it's also refreshingly cool to know that we have the tools to filter that noise out. Because just like I can be mindful about what I say, someone else can be mindful about what black-hole of "Filter out" I fall into.

If they care.

2010-07-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Why are corporations hoarding cash?! Underground bunkers are the smart buy. http://bit.ly/cqZVevt

2010-06-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Zombie Brains (or abalone?) on the shores of Monterey

2010-06-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Inside the Park Homerun - outside the Park @ McCovey Cove

2010-06-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

ATT's Shocking Anti-Shock: New smartphone users lose access to unlimited data use offer as AT&T looks to ease pressure on its network

This is an ATTrifecta hitting three birds with one stone – bill shock, revenue shock, and (clincher) regulatory shock. Shocking.

Having gotten that out of the way, the big squeeze between capacity, competition and costs (can I throw the FCC’s haranguing & pitchfork-waving) requires moves like this. While technologies are doing wonders for bandwidth and resource management, bandwidth isn’t free. Attempts to transparently price valued services are the way to go — although where the price points end up, who’s to say.

Comment posted to http://bit.ly/9lFCsv

2010-05-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Nico skips lizards for Leia as Han Solo with cousins Haley and Matthew:

http://starwars.jibjab.com/view/NymWI6lGH54rJrybDXL6
http://starwars.jibjab.com/view/ZiX95PQuqrK2PH7Gs2AV
http://starwars.jibjab.com/view/c94hi3o3DGVtBlFAXJNt

2010-05-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately for Nico's future victims, the rusted wire was neither dangerously sharp nor electrified (@ Quail Hollow Park, Felton, CA)

2010-05-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our Genes in Action, Part Two (in my defense, he lost three teeth in 2 days)