Check out Jersey City by The Frequency. Electronic funk with a smooth groove and a chill vibe. The tune Fade is also quite good. I'll be buying this album, soon. I picked them up from the ropeadope web page in their little blurb announcing an all-digital music label. Pretty cool. Nice to see a label really taking advantage of what the 'net can offer as a delivery medium. And even though it's only July, NPR is dishing out the best songs of 2006 (so far).

Had my first official San Franciscan BBQ yesterday. I've BBQed here in SF before, but never at my own place, with my own grill. It was always off out of the city, camping, or on a friend's deck, but never one all my own. Well, my own and 35 of our friends. The yard and grill all performed splendidly. Now, I could go and find a bunch of links about bbqs, meat, and other associated topics, but luckily, someone did that for me. Good stuff there, check it out! I especially liked the Table of Condiments that Periodically Go Bad. And the meathats, of course.

There's plenty for you to play with and find deeper in those pages, so I'll let you delve as you listen to NPR's show. You did turn it on, didn't you? That's what it's there for! For listening! So go, listen, surf and be well.

Damn, editing a video together is no joke. It's so much easier to tie words together. With video there are so many variables and so much more information to work with. Frames, transitions, effects, audio tracks. I could spend hours working on this stuff. And work we just did. Four solid hours tonight plus many hours of work over the last week has resulted in a final project.

Camp Gallagosen Activities is what it's called and we hope you enjoy it.

Taco night at the neighbor's. It was extra delicious and very relaxing.

Gonna start deep tonight with a shot from deep inside the earth. These crazy f*ckers explore old mines!

Next one's a bit of a spoiler if you're into the Simpons. The movie is coming out and here's two clips from very early in the animation process, taped at the recent Comic-Con event and smuggled out.

And the only other thing I gots for you tonight are some people doing some pretty foolish things. In these images/stories, safety is definitely not first.

Another hot one in The City today. I did get out a bit, but a full day of glorious sunshine would have been much better than a full day of inglorious phone calls. Alas, to play I must work, at least for now.

Bought our plane tix after work this evening! That felt really good. On Sept. 7 at 1:05am, Lu and I will fly away on China Air, stop briefly in Taiwan, and then land clear on the other side of the world at Bangkok International Airport (BKK). There's a return date on the ticket for early November, but frankly I don't want to spend a moment of time thinking about that. I'm sure on our travels, we're going to see some pretty odd things. Stuff like this.

Yesterday I linked to an image of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was taken by my friend Cassidy and was actually part of a larger project he worked on about a year ago. He took a photo of the bridge every morning and every evening and posted the results on the above blog. The work as a whole is quite interesting, and the photos are gorgeous. I would love to see other photo projects in this format, but for different landmarks in other parts of the country. His work alone is powerful, and putting together more like this would be amazing. I just love how each photo reveals a different aspect of the bridge, the tree, the fog and the environment of this incredible human-made feat-of-engineering. Take the time to look at each photo, you won't be disappointed.

Here is another intersection of bridges, highways, photography and blogs, but this site is far more political, far less beautiful, yet still very interesting.

Last bit is Bigfoot. I promised some wedding Sasquatch, so here you go! It's frustratingly dark in the beginning, but it gets brighter and it is pretty fun. Enjoy.

Well, we pulled off another impromptu Oysterfeast with just about zero planning. Text message at noon had us in motion in seconds, and we were on the road by 1pm fully prepared to feast. Took about 2 hours to get up to Drake's Oyster farm, and shortly thereafter we pulled up at the vista point of Heart's Desire on Tomales Bay.

6 of us put down 100 oysters in about 3 hours. Some were raw, some were grilled, all were delicious. Grilling oysters is the easiest thing in the world. Simply pile up some coals, light'em up, let them burn till they're gray and the flame is out, then toss the oysters directly on the hot coals. When an oyster pops open, spoon a little garlic butter sauce or wine (or beer) into the shell, let it roast for flavor and then devour with your favorite topping. After that it was a dip in the Bay waters, then a smooth ride home, back into San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Tunes were a key aspect of the drive. The iPod delivered a good mix, but it's important to keep it fresh with some new music. The Bicycles have a summer-time Beach Boys pop groove with some nice layers and sweet lyrics. Sunroof open. And summer isn't summer without festivals. From Relix we've got a big selection of All Good Festival and High Sierra music streams. The download links don't seem to be working, but you can subscribe to the podcast there. Last offering is Thievery Corporation on KCRW. They aren't my favorite, but my wife loves them and there are moments when their grooves do slip in the right places.

It's been hot in SF, and I love it. Summer rules.

Pulled a doozy last night. Was hanging with my friend for her birthday and I sunk deep into the couch after checking out The Motet at 12 Galaxies, and then the next thing I know I'm waking up somewhere, with something buzzing in my jacket pocket nearby and then I realize it's 4:20am, I'm not a home and my wife thinks I'm dead. I wasn't, I was just so beat and totally out. Stumbled home in a bleary-eyed daze, apologized for worrying her and the promptly fell asleep again.

Luckily, work is a cakewalk today. We're off to Angel Island at 11am for the company picnic. Never been over there so I'm psyched to check it out. I understand you can camp there and that's something I'm gonna look into while we're picnicing today.

Lips/Ween at the Greek Saturday night has me very fired up. Jupiter is a possible pre-show choice, but Raleigh's has the far larger patio, and more beverage choices. With a group our size, we'll probably have to take over the latter even though the former is nicer.

Gotta pump out a few sales call this morning, then it's nothing but sun and weekend fun.

Well, things are moving along much quicker with the HD videocamera + Macbook + iMovie. Ran into one glitch that set me back some, but Lu found a page on How to Avoid iMovie Annoyances. Right there in the middle is that bit about letterboxing. Set me back a good hour waiting for the machine to do something I didn't want it to do. Easy enough to start over, though, and the software is a breeze. The tough part is taking the footage and stitching together something enjoyable. Not gonna get to put it up tonight, though. Soon!

Instead I've got a few other videos for you. The first is animated art and very cool. It is called Blissful. Next is the first in Jan Svankmajer's Food series: Part One -Breakfast. Odd stuff there, but extremely compelling. Haven't watched Lunch and Dinner yet. I'm saving them for tomorrow and the next day as something to look forward to.

Last video for the day is pure f*cking brilliance. It's the F*cking Short Version of the Big Lebowski. I suggest you watch this one at home, or with headphones on. It might not be suitable for your workplace, but it will definitely make you laugh.

Alright, back to Bigfoot editing. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can get it online!

I thought I would have more time to write once my wedding and wedding planning was over. But still, every night is something else! Tonight was Pearl Jam. And they were excellent. They jammed more than I thought they would, I knew fewer songs then I expected and the whole event felt more real and visceral than I counted on. I thought by now they would be a little stale. That was not the case at all. Each song was filled with layers, lyrics, passion and drive. I liked it.

So for links I've got some multi-media fun. Here's a monkey with a deathwish. Next is Space Invaders writ large and stop-actioned. Last link is to a quintessential phone call between an AOL Consumer Specialist and a customer that is just trying to cancel their AOL service.

Time for bed. I'll dream of the Evenflow (great jam in that tune. The crowd sang the chorus! It was magical.) But tomorrow I will have up some amazing, nearly unseen footage of the elusive Bigfoot. The Wookie. The Great Sasquatch of the Northern Woods. Sleep well, and dream of rock and roll.

I gotta be quick and dirty today 'cause I slacked last night. Well, not so much slacked as played poker till 1am. It was great, but I didn't win, so really it was just okay. No, it really was great, but winning would have been awesome.

Crazy shit going on in the world today, so I'm gonna get a little political and give you some of the sites I check every day to stay up to date and enraged. Crooks and Liars, ThinkProgress and Talking Points Memo are my three main go-tos. All democrat/progressive, and keeping a careful eye on the foolishness of this administration. Follow their links to delve even deeper.

The Wall Street Journal has a nice little page that is constantly updated with developments in the Israel/Hezbollah crisis. It's my been my first stop every morning for the last few days.

Last link is called BAGnewsNotes, and although it is political, the site is a little different in that the focus each day is on particular media images. Both the site's owner and the commenters anazlyze the images, and I've found their analysis to be both interesting and insightful.

I feel as though we are moving closer to the brink every day. I'm hopeful this crisis ends before something truly insane occurs.

There are 6.5 billion people on this earth. Here's a pixel for each of them.

HSMF was more a loonymoon than a honeymoon, so we're going on a minimoon this weekend up to Calistoga. It will be my first mudbath, ever. From there it's on to wine-tasting and then a relaxing evening in town. Not sure what we'll get into on Sunday. A hike would be nice. Or maybe we'll find something wacky and fun going on up there in Wine Country. There's a petrified Redwood forest near our hotel, and I think we will definitely have to check that out!

The Plum Accord is a go. My diagnosis of brake issues and engine issues was correct. New rear brake, dirty brake fluid, 2 new belts and yes for sure, a tune-up, stat. All fixable, though and the engine itself is in great condition. If everything goes as planned, we'll put another 100k on this thing. In moments we leave to make the purchase. After that, it's all weekend.

So do you think this video is real? It looks real, but it seems totally ludicrous. I mean, that kite-boarder is just *way* the hell up there. This video of bullets in slow-motion is definitely real, and really cool. It's sorta terrifying to look at, though, considering what the true intent of those projectiles are. These photos are absolutely not real. It's real French buildings and architecture, but the 'people' in them are utterly imaginary. You might recognize a few of them, though.

Music is a little odd in that it is absolutely and totally real, but utterly invisible to the naked eye. It is like the wind, but it penetrates us to the very soul, far deeper than any breeze can. Music can make you cry, laugh, dance, swoon, shout and leap around like a monkey. When my headphones are on and I'm strolling the city I am filled in a way that is wholly unique. Nothing-- not books, not painting, not movies, not poems--consumes me from the inside-out, like music does.

Thom Yorke had some interesting things to say about music on NPR the other night. This is a seriously awesome interview. Terry Gross is amazing, and getting to hear Yorke's brain pour out his mouth in something other than song is simply fantastic. Fresh Air is good like that, and definitely worth keeping your ear on. But I promised my buddy Shack something other than just this interview because he heard it when it was broadcast originally. So for him, I found this: a site called download RADIOHEAD, and it has mad links to all kinds of rare audio tracks and video footage. Enjoy buddy!

Looking like we found a car tonight. It's everything we want and the price is right, except, it's plum. I'm going to have to drive a plum freaking car around for the next five or seven years! Of course, for Lu, that's just about as good as it gets. I'm pretty sure she sold herself on the car the second she found out what color it was. That it's a fourdoor/sunroofed/lowmileage/less than $7k and not a stick (we're so tired of a stick in SF) Honda Accord, is just a lucky coincidence for us. Gotta get it checked by the mechanic and then we'll decide. My guess: a tuneup, brakes in 10k miles, but otherwise good to go. And I'm gone.

Got travel on the brain, and seeing as I love to write, travel writing seemed like a good fit. But then I started reading about the true life of a travel guide writer on Killing Batteries and it doesn't seem nearly as much fun as I thought. Of course, to travel, you need maps. This site combines the power of a wiki with the ease of Google maps, so people can work together and provide important/cool/interesting information on specific locations. Or, for purely US information with a focus on hiking trails, there's Trail Link.

There are other ways to travel besides physically, though. Music can take you on a journey, too. But sometimes I need help finding just the right songs or bands. The web has been an amazing tool for locating great tunes, but I definitely need some help along the way. After all, the music isn't going to find itself. If you're into the wacky psychedelia of the 60s, then Technicolor Web of Sound is the place for you. If you're not sure what bands or music you want, but you've got a sense of what characteristics you're looking for in music, then give musiclens a shot. And if you are tired of the bullshit from the RIAA, record labels and how musicians always seem to get the shaft, then Magnatune is the right place for you to pick up some new albums.

Spent the evening car-hunting and the choices are so vast it's nearly impossible. And it's not just on make/model, but also whether we want to spend less and buy something outright, or spend more and get financing. It's crazy! I figure we'll just keep being dilligent, look at everything we can, search the lots, search craigslist and be ready for when the Universe lines up right and suddenly our brand new (used) vehicle is sitting there right in front of us, ready to be ours. After all, that's pretty much exactly how I found my wife. Well, not so much with craigslist, but there were definitely some pre-concert parking lot parties I strolled around in wondering if she was at that party, too. Turns out... she was, and, I knew her! I just didn't know it then. Thank god I found her before she was off the market. Now she's mine forever! Hahahaha!

There's so many damn things to do on the computer that I could end up sitting here all friggin night. Especially now that I have a video camera. I got a whole crapload of great footage from our wedding and from High Sierra, but the problem is I really have no idea how to use the computer software to edit it all effectively. Part of me thought "oh I'll just hook the camera up, grab the video, cut out the crappy parts, lay in some music and we'll be good to go." But the other part of me--The Cynic--knew it wasn't going to be that easy. At least not with a PC.

Couldn't figure out how to grab the video from the camera, first off, because the manual says absolutely nothing about that. That worried me, and my fears were justified. There was no way the camcorder instructions would have any way to explaining the morass of commands and options that resides within the 2 (yes, 2) video editing programs that came with camera. Finally managed to 'capture' the images, but then after a bit of editing, I had to 'output' the file, and I could not for the life of me figure out where that 'output' was going. Especially vexing was the little bubble that appeared that said "you designate where to save the file" but only 1 folder was given, and there was no way to change it. Haha!! Take that human!!

Finally I discovered how to move the file around once it was saved, and then even compress and email it, but all of that took at least 3 hours.

I have a feeling when I go and try to do all this on the Macbook, it's going to be a cakewalk. It was enough to make me want to do this. If only I had a robot that I could call in to come bail me out!

But then I started surfing and found the Top 25 Calvin and Hobbes strips which brought a huge smile to my face. Loved that comic. If he was still producing it, I would read it every day. I remember crying when the last one splashed across the newspaper pages. It still gets me to this day.

These next two are a bit techy, but they are pretty damn cool. BillQ will make sure you don't get into any jams with creditors. And then there's YouOs which is "a web operating system that lets you run diverse applications within a web browser. Small applications like sticky notes or clocks. Large applications like word processing, mp3 players, and instant messaging." Just create an account and log on and you'll see how cool it is. Google will buying or burying this company within the year, I'd say.

Last is some video fluff. It's for a bank you'll probably never get to join, but their ad is rather impressive.

I hope to have impressive video of my own up, eventually, but for now you'll just have to live with our cat beggin for headrubs.

Meltone was fantastic on Friday night. Such a fun, rocking group, and really great to see a band from Japan that's making music we love. It had to be incredible for them to come over here, play High Sierra and also get a gig at a cool SF bar. Next time they're in town they will definitely have to play a larger venue. 12 Galaxies would be just right for them. And I gotta pick up their album, stat.

Now that the wedding is over, Honeymoon planning is in full effect. We're heading to Thailand for 2 months (Sept/Oct) and while we are there, I hope we never end up on a road like this. I also hope I never get fooled like these people. I'm sometimes astounded by the things I see people doing and being done to them, in other countries. A stunt like that on a US mountain would definitely result in major lawsuits.

Thick fog in the city today. That means summer is here. I'll be using this tool quite a bit to see when we're going to have a clear day. It was gorgeous all weekend, though, and we got up and out on Saturday for a little hike along the Sutro Heights Trail. It goes north from Ocean Beach, towards Baker Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. While on the high coastal trail, down below in the cove we saw a pair of bottlenose dolphins frolicking. It was so damn cool. They were just swimming around, playing with each other. My buddy is a Marine Biologist and he thought they were probably a male and a female, courting. If one had been a bit smaller, his guess would have been mother and calf. We also saw 2 red-tailed hawks and flock of four pelicans. Amazing that we could be within city limits and see that kind of incredible wildlife. I love SF, even though the summers are cold, dreary and full of fog.

Poker tonight. So fun. I brought home a smile, but unfortunately, no wad of loot.

Short and brief tonight because it is way past my bedtime on a schoolnight, and I've already tasted 18 different pinot noirs. Once a month we have a blind wine tasting on the third thursday and every time I learn something new. This month I learned that I have real trouble not liking pinot noirs. The other problem is that a friend stayed an extra night or two because this city is just so damn much fun.

Another thing that is fun is putting Mentos in Diet Coke. If you need an example, click... here.

And if you are in the southern US, and you need a new shirt, emerald or perhaps an essential travel item, you might want to check out Unclaimed Baggage. I have no idea how people think of these things, but there it is.

I promise sickass music soon. I know that I have been lacking in that media department. We've had a Pana-freaking-manian guest for the last little while and the fact is that having him here (or any guest) makes me want to make sure that my good friend is having the best time ever. Sometimes hosting cuts into writing/searching/listening/finding, but seriously, who the eff cares about that shite when a friend is in town.

Friends always come first. Always. Good thing my wife is my best friend. Good thing my family is, too.

Well we just watched the video footage from High Sierra, and there's gold on there. Some shite as well, but that's to be expected in 1 hour and forty minutes of musical debauchery. I'm thinking I can get it down to about 20 minutes and have something really good. And there are a few segments that will stand alone quite nicely. I haven't attempted to edit film in many, many years. Last time was in college and I was using actual 16mm film, a splicer and editing tape. To be able to do it all right here on this machine or on the new Macbook is going to be a real treat. Working with the wedding footage will be much more straightforward. That's more of a trim. High Sierra is going to require splicing scenes and overlaying music in an attempt to craft something coherent and interesting from a wide range of silliness. Lots of great music there. In fact, my favorite band is actually a five way tie between: Meltone, The Disco Biscuits, The New Mastersounds (the NMS's site is broken right now, but I'll check again in the am) , Garage A Trois and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. All of them rock live, and each is utterly different than the last.

Back at work today was the polar opposite of the above raging fun. I think I need a vacation from my vacation to get ready to get back to work. But I did find some good things through the portal of my new work computer. It was nice to have a new machine, but having to reconfigure it to my liking even as I was trying to catch up on work and make sales was no easy feat. But then again, neither is lighting off 35,000 bottle rockets.

And speaking of launching off, the Space Shuttle Discovery took off on July 4th, and NASA is covering the mission thoroughly. You can download the launch video about halfway down on the right. It sometimes boggles my mind we can pull that off at all. And then sometimes I cannot believe that we're still stuck on this rock, barely scratching at the deep void just above our feeble atmosphere.

Last offering is Cityfeeds. There's SF, NYC, LA, Toronto and a bunch more, including Baghdad. The site calls what it does "Aggregedited Content", which is their term "for the culling together of many sources of diverse syndicated content into a usable format for web users." Basically they take a variety of content sources about each city and keep it updated to provide a snapshot of the current trends and ideas in each locale. Sounds useful, but the true test is how often I go back to see what it has to offer.

I know what my bed has to offer, though. After the rocky, pineconey discomfort of a High Sierra with a broken airmattress, those downy covers look inviting indeed.