Sunday, December 30, 2007

leadership interview

i was recently interviewed about my thoughts on leadership for a student's class project. here's what came from that discussion.

Friday, December 21, 2007

2nd day at the park

i went to the park of melbourne which is an indoor skatepark, built by team pain. high noon was the perfect time. i had the bowl all to my self. now at 32 years old, and on my second trip i started get a little feel for it again, while carving the bowl and pulling off some 50-50's. i may have to fit this into my routine.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

reflections for christmas

with christmas coming so quickly this year, i have been reminded at a few different times to experience christmas this year. yet, as i say that tonya and i have only dinner together at home once since december 3rd. as i look at the calendar today, it will be that way until we return home after christmas, even on our anniversary. i truly value the time that she and i have together at home. i enjoy a quiet evening and as i look at my calendar, it has not been fair to her to have had some much happening during this season. i will need to make some changes next year.

often the celebration of the season is lost in the busyness of the season. i want to be able to just be at home for christmas and enjoy that time together. at the same time i have had some quiet reminders of what the holiday is about. giving because of what was given. it makes think of all the ways others have given to me throughout this past year. tonya gives to me in some great ways. she is patient with me. she adjusts for me. she takes care of things, so that i don't have to be concerned about it. she protects me and watches out for me. and she loves me in ways that make me feel great in all the little things she does.

she reminds me of what christmas is about. it's not about the busyness and going to all the parties. it's not about giving gifts because that person gave you a gift and you just have to reciprocate. it's giving freely because of the love you have for others. it's giving without expecting a return. it's giving of that surprise gift that was never expected. it's thinking of what makes others happy and spending time doing those things. it's giving not just of things but of yourself. it's giving because of what was given.

tekzilla daily talks of vista sp1

Monday, December 17, 2007

Merry Christmas

in the spirit of Christmas, this song and dance was made special for you.

why so serious?

the dark knight trailer is now available for viewing. it is also available to download in HD. looks great.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Cool Stuff: 30 Years of LucasFilm Christmas Cards

For the last 30 years, Lucasfilm has created special holiday Star Wars greeting cards for its employees and business partners. Check 'em out!

read more | digg story

Monday, December 10, 2007

many faces of the castle.

these were all taken on the eve of december 3rd, 2007.









Thursday, December 06, 2007

illusion portrait made in halo 3


here's the link to the flickr page. this was made using the forge editor in halo 3. it took me quite a while to finally see it. there is a face in the pic. do you see it?

Wednesday, December 05, 2007


don't forget what the season is all about.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

xbox 360 #4 & 5

as you may remember from my earlier posts that xbox #2 died back in february. well, to resolve that situation, i bought xbox #3 with the extended warranty plan at best buy. this would allow me to replace the xbox 360 on the same day that it breaks. notice i didn't say if it breaks. xbox #2 was sitting on a shelf in a closet still broken.

this summer microsoft, generously decided to extend their warranties on the hardware to two years. seemed reasonable and expected. with this news i called the service center and recieved a shipping box in the mail to have it repaired again. on the original machine that is the second repair. when i received it back, i was actually sent a new xbox completely. i discovered this by the manufacture date on the rear of the machine. we will call this one xbox #4.

now, yesterday, december 1st, 2007 xbox 360 #3 also died. this time, i took it back to best buy and it was replaced with no hassle, same day, for xbox #5.

i would definitely recommend buying the extended warranty on this product. it is highly likely that it will die at some point. the extended warrant cost $38 at best buy for two years and save you the convenience on sending it out to be sent back - about a 2 week process. eliminates the down time. to me, it was worth it.

here's what it looks like:

you can read about it through microsoft's support page. their support phone number is 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

so xbox #4 (the repair by microsoft) is now being used. how long will it last? no idea. however #5 is in waiting, sitting quietly in its box, prepared to fill in as soon as it is needed.