I Have The Urge..

I have a new project on the burner that's gonna take some time to build. It's a "Hackintosh" and it's kind of special. I'll update how it's going and where I'm at from time to time. I'm going try video as well but that might be at the end of the project. Hopefully it won't take long but I want to take my time to do it right.

Tech Toys

Here are a couple of new toys that I recently picked up.

One is the Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera. It can do HD at 1080p but I'll probably film most things at 720p. Not everyone has a HDTV. I did order the Sony Stereo Microphone from here: http://www.dealextreme.com/. Dealextreme sells it for less than $5 while Amazon wants $45. What a deal. And it works too.



I did film my nephews wrestling with their shirts off. I didn't plan on it. I just walked in on them while trying out the camera. I'll wait until they're older and then embarrass them with the video. Ha… ha…

The other is a new cell phone with a brain. It's a Samsung Intercept that's running Android 2.1 on the Sprint network. It's running okay. At times the touch buttons are a little finicky and the battery drains when I have the WiFi on. I have to remember to turn it off when I'm at work or out and about.





What's funny is that I bought the Zi8 a couple of months ago and the Intercept last week. The Intercept not only takes pictures but can record video as well. Oh well…

Summer Grilling

Here's what I've been grilling on the Weber Q. Top Sirloin and Tri-Tip. I've cooked other stuff such as chicken and Rib Eyes but I keep forgetting to take pictures of them. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the grill and recommend it. Five hot briquets!

Tears Were Shed.

Went and saw "Toy Story 3".

Tears were shed.

That's all I have to say.

Flame On!

Last weekend Orchard Supply Hardware was having a "We pay the sales tax" sale. So I went to looking for a barbecue grill since my current one was rusting out. My mind was pretty much set on what I wanted. I just hoped that OSH carried it. I looked on the net for prices and they all were pretty much the same price. Either it was priced cheaper but then shipping would negate the savings or it was free shipping but no discounted price. I figured that without paying the sales tax, I would be able to pick up the grill for the online price and I wouldn't have to wait for it to ship.

Low and behold, OSH had what I wanted, a Weber Q 220. I was looking at the 110 but it lacked a temperature gauge, electronic ignition, side tables, and less cooking space. I really didn't care for the first three but I did want more cooking space and the 110 was almost the same size as my current rust bucket. The 220 was just $30 more so that's what I picked up.


Getting it home was no problem but the box was kinda oversized. I managed to get it up the long staircase with little trouble. Assembly was quick and easy. I turned it on and powered it up. Hooray! It flamed on with no leaks or problems. The temperature gauge hit over 450 degrees. This thing is going to cook. It was late and I had to eat and get to bed early for work so grilling was a no go. But as I went to sleep the thought of what to grill danced through my dreams.


The next day, I had some beef and salmon defrosting. I was going to do Oyster Sauce Beef and Steamed Salmon but they could be grilled just as easy. They would inaugurate the first grilling. So after a quick marinade, I went to work. I threw in some Italian sausages that I had lying around as well. Delicious!


I kinda overcooked the Salmon and undercooked the beef but otherwise edible. I need to speed more time with the Q to get used to the heat and cooking times. I have spring, summer and fall to get my grilling down. It'll be fun and oh so yummy.

Wind Me Up

I just finished reading a very good science fiction book called "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi. I want to thank my friend Mr. Lee who recommended it to me. It took me a couple of days to read. I could have finished it earlier but something called "Work" got in the way.
You can find a description here: http://www.nightshadebooks.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=145
Reviews here: http://www.amazon.com/Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801577

Two thumbs up!

WonderCon 2010

WonderCon 2010 - Day 1

I met up with Evan, Harvey and Victor at Mel's on Mission for something to eat before we went to get our badges. We talked about our expectations for the show and what we were looking to buy. I had nothing in particular just whatever caught my eye.

Harvey's 10 year old Honda Accord check engine light went off so we planned on going to Uncle Doug's mechanic after we got our badges. The mechanic was just a couple of blocks away from Moscone Center. As it turns out, the check engine light went off as we were taking the drive to the garage. Harvey decided on taking it on another day.

We met up with Evan and Victor back at the Con and proceeded down into the bowels of the exhibit hall. Upon entering the hall, we had to wait in a line to get onto the dealer's floor. I didn't have to wait line since I had a "Pro" badge (Thanks Mike) but it wasn't that long and I wasn't in that much of a rush.

While walking around, I saw the usual vendors that seemed to always be there and some new ones. There seemed to be more booths catering to females and the cute stuff that interests them. I picked up the Mattel Batwing from the 1989 "Batman" movie. I had forgotten all about it. I also got the 1966 Batboat that I've been looking for awhile.

I ran into Chris near the "Dante's Inferno" booth. I was taking a picture of an Iron Man statue whose eyes and chest plate were illuminated. We walked and talked while meandering around the artists' alley and media tables. Chris then took off for a panel he wanted to check out.

I had met up with Evan, Harvey and Victor and we walked the floor a little more before heading to the Esplanade for the beginning of the programming schedule. In the Esplanade, we hooked up with Chris and sat in the front row in facing a video screen and speakers. Big mistake.

It turns out that the sound was cranked up and when there booms and bangs, you felt it. Especially the cushion of air that the speakers sent across that hit you. It was terrible. I had to grab my etymotic earphones to isolate the loudness of the sound. Putting them in my ear made the sound much more bearable. I think that if I didn't, my ears would be ringing like there's no tomorrow and I'd have some hearing loss. Huh?

Episodes of "V", "Fringe" and "Human Target" were shown. "V" was okay. I don't watch it. "Fringe" as well. I had only watched the pilot and two or three episodes after that. "Human Target" had my childhood hero as a guest star. "The Six Million Dollar Man", Lee Majors, was that guest so I watched with renewed interest. I knew what would happen in the end but still shed a tear or two.

The final program for the night was Kevin Smith. He's always a hoot to see. Almost everything that comes out of that big mouth is funny and in some way homo-erotic. He kept things humming along making everyone laugh. The one quote that'll stick with me is "… like a long rope."


You had to be there.

After a long day, I took the Metro, grabbed a burger from Sliders and moseyed on home.

WonderCon 2010 - Day 2

Harvey's check engine light went off again the night before while driving Evan and Victor home. So he came by, picked me up and we headed to the garage. Once we dropped off the car we headed to Moscone. But before that we had supplies to stock up on. I didn't have any food supplies the day before and regretted it. Today was going to be different. I was going to be camped in the Esplanade all day and I needed provisions.

Whole Foods would provide the supplies. A roast beef and cheddar on sourdough, Kettle Chips and 2 bottles of water would provide me with enough nourishment needed for the encampment. Surprisingly the prices were reasonable. In fact, the water was cheaper than Safeway and you got more.

This time I sat by the Control Tower in the Esplanade. Far enough away from the speakers but close enough to big screen to see everything.

Happy Town was first up. It's "Twin Peaks" but not as dark. A lot of stuff going on in the pilot. It's interesting enough but I'm going to wait if it's picked up. I hate to invest in a show and then get the rug pulled out from underneath me after.

Walt Disney presented "Prince Of Persia", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Toy Story 3". Screen Gems had "Resident Evil". Warner Bros. showed "The Losers", "Splice" and "Nightmare On Elm Street". And Lionsgate had "Kick-Ass". I think the only one that interested me the most was "Toy Story 3" and "Splice". I could see the rest of them but it wouldn't be on the top of my list. Christopher Nolan also showed up to plug "Inception". This looks very interesting. Everything he does is always pretty good.

That was a long day in the Esplanade. I enjoyed the previews and panels. After a quick review of the exhibit hall we all went off to dinner and met up with Stan. Little Joe's on Mission was the place of choice. I had a very delicious Chicken Parmingiana. It was nice comfort food for the day.

By the way, The iPad was released today. I'll probably get one but not until generation 2.

WonderCon 2010 - Day 3

Happy Easter!

Here it is, the final day of WonderCon. Not much going on. I was suppose to meet up with Dorian but he passed. It was grey, cloudy and going to rain heavily later in the day. I had a hot dog and a spam breakfast sandwich with orange juice from Jollibee before starting off in the exhibit hall. I walked around and picked up the Star Trek water bottle that I had been eyeing from the Things From Another World booth. The guy remembered me from yesterday and thanked me for coming back.

After walking around a bit, I met up with Evan and then big brother Rich and Tally Sue. We walked around together and ran into Waymond. It wasn't as crowded as yesterday. I wonder if it being Easter or Passover had anything to do with it? The weather also turned ugly. Evan and I then went off to the final panel of the day in the Esplanade. It was for "Chuck".

The "Chuck" panel showed Monday night's episode. It was good. If you're a fan then it's a must not miss episode. Watch it live or record it. Not to give anything away but in this episode things are consummated.

And that was it. WonderCon 2010 is nothing but a memory in my mind. I enjoyed this years. It wasn't too crowded. I could walk around without bumping into people. I would love to have seen more people in costume but I guess that's what ComicCon is for. Other than that, I'm looking forward to the new movies coming out and to WonderCon 2011. Hopefully they'll have the date settled early this time.