Hershey’s Update
I checked my bag ‘o’ Hershey’s wrappers. I’m up to 15, now, which means that I’ve got one t-shirt in the bank.
Archive for September, 2005
Ahhh! Monster!
Today, I was sitting in the window of Borders bookstore. As I peeled my nose from the book I was reading, I took a peek outside. On the street, a black truck was handing out Monster energy drink from the back. I thought “huh, that’s cool.” Then, some sense hit me and I thought, “get your ass out there and get a drink.” So, I did.
Guinness Oyster Fest
Saturday I went to the Guinness Oyster Fest. However, I didn’t try any oyster like I said I would. I pigged out on a 1/2 lb burger, then found out that the oysters were $2.50 a half. They were selling Guinness for $4 a cup, and I thought that was reasonably cheap. The oysters not so much for something slurpable.
On the brightside, there was an array of good music. The bagpipe-people only played for about 15 min. The highlight for me was The Tossers. They were an irish folk band with a dash of punk. They were also a native Chicago band, so the crowd was definitely alive for them. Girls and guys started dancing around, kicking their legs, in some irish fashion. This is a picturne of them.
The Violent Femmes also headlined, but I wasn’t really stoked about them. I stayed until they played the “Lemme go on, like a blister in the sun, lemme go on, big hands I know you’re the one” song, and I left after that.
Google Homepage
A few months ago, Google introduced a new feature for users to personalize their own homepage, www.google.com/ig#. Since 2001, I’ve been using Google as my homepage, so testing it out was really a no brainer. Users who have a gmail account already have this personalization open to them. If you dont have a gmail account, then you need to sign-up to have access to it.
What I enjoy about this page is that I have the choice to load it with everything I want and nothing I dont want. Namely ads. The top of the page has the classic Google search, but you’re free to load the rest of the page with blocks of data. It has an automatic update feature which links to your gmail account. So, it will show when you have a new email. You’re able to see the weather forcast of your area. There is a link block to easily surf to a site. It also has a ticker to keep watch on the stock market. And did I mention all of this is customizable? If you hover over the block you’ll get a compass icon, in which you can move the entire block to where ever you want. So, you can manage the appearance of the home page.
But, one of the niftiest features is the RSS block. Google has a list of preloaded rss sites to choose from like Reuters, New York Times, Wired, and the list goes on. If none of these appeal to you, you just have to find an RSS feed that appeals to you and add it. Each time that site adds new content or articles, your Google page will update the feed. By doing this, your homepage is constantly changing and staying current with the latest news. This also works with podcast feeds, so you’ll know when a new podcast is available for download. In the picture, the NPR feed provides me with a quick link to download a new mp3. I’m listening to it now.
The google homepage works best for home computers. If you use a library or friends computer, it may not be wise to use this each time. It’s not unsafe, but you’d have to remember to log out each time like you would an email account. Otherwise, people would have access to your gmail address. But, if you currently use google alot. This is a fantastic step up to get all news you want without anything you dont need.
Day Twenty-One:
Last week, I abandoned the four hyssop seeds that I had planted. I dug them up and they hadn’t sprouted anything. So, I didn’t lose anything. I dumped the 100 hundred left over seeds into the pot, and they still haven’t shown any life. If I dont see anything by next week I’m pronouncing them dead.
In other news, I visited a plant shop that had bamboo and bonsai-ish plants. The owner came up, and asked “Can I help you with something…blah blah?” I asked him if he sold any seeds, and he adamantly said, “NO.” I was a little taken aback. So, I went and looked at his bonsai, and he came up behind me and stood there. I wanted to ask, “Can I help you?” Instead, I asked if he knew of any shops that sell seeds, but he refused to be helpful. He advised me to check the internet. Thanks, dood.
