Sunday, June 20, 2010

Further proof that heads of corporations arr serious sociopaths...

Granted, there are exceptions, but this is pretty disgusting:

Screencap source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/19/AR20100619029...

The headline almost says it all:

"BP's Hayward takes a day off for yacht race, infuriating gulf residents"

But there's more in that article that's infuriating:

"As social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook lit up with anger, BP spokesman Robert Wine said the break is Hayward's first since the Deepwater Horizon rig BP was leasing exploded April 20.

"He's spending a few hours with his family at a weekend," Wine said. "I'm sure that everyone would understand that.""

No, sir, I can't understand that because I'm a moral person. If I had been in charge when this mess happened I'd put on a respirator (I hear that oil is toxic), get down on the ground, and help with the cleaning up of animals. If my family wanted to spend time with me, I'd invite them on a trip to the beach. I'd keep a cell phone handy so I could be reachable, but that's it.

I'd understand that, because of my colossal blunder, the rest of my life would be spent atoning for my environmental sin. I'd do that with a bottle of soap in one hand a tooth brush in the other. I'd also plan to quit, work out how to live the rest of my life at a middle-class level, and donate the rest of my fortune to the Gulf of Mexico recovery effort.

There, Tony, I just wrote you a script for how to not go down in history as an asshole. Protect your legacy. Your money won't mean a thing after you die, but your name--your kids and grandkids will be ridiculed--history books will mock you--you will be remembered as an amoral cretin who cared more for his "own life" than the lives he helped destroy.

You'll also be remembered for owning a yacht called "Bob". Who do you think you are, Joss Whedon??

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Video from earlier today: Now surrounded by human gridlock in line for Nathan's!

Initially we had come to see the mermaid parade, but I have a hard time ignoring one of the most historic locations for food in America. So, of course, we had to stop for Nathans. Out of the frying pan... into another frying pan!! Luckily, there were hot dogs in this metaphorical frying pan so it was worth it! :)

Posted via web from thepete's posterous

Video: From Earlier Today: Surrounded by human gridlock at the Mermaid Parade out at Coney

We saw some mermaids, but there was just too many people! Luckily the breeze was coming from the ocean so we weren't roasting--thank heaven for small favors, right? :)

Posted via web from thepete's posterous

Now in a huge line for Nathan's

The woman behind me gave up moments after I took this pic.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

At the Mermaid Parade out at Coney (no mermaids in this pic sadly)

Friday, June 18, 2010

Thursday, June 17, 2010

I'm SO THERE (pt2)! from Newmindspace.com: Bubble Battle NYC 2010 June 26, 2010

After the amazing fun time I had at the Lightsaber Battle in SoHo I was looking forward to what the minds behind that event had coming up next--well, here it is:

Millions of bubbles fly through the air as we converge in Times Square for a magical bubble battle! Loosely based on the Dr. Seuss Classic The Butter Battle Book. Bring bubble toys, bubble generators, bubble solution, and plenty of AA batteries :) We will meet in Times Square, fill our weapons and pull the trigger!

Last year over 1,500 people came to take over Times Square and disseminate joy by the bubbles per minute. Be creative with your contraptions and take sides: butter side up or butter side down!

Bubble Battle NYC Times Square (red steps at W 47th & Broadway) Saturday, June 26th 2010 @ 6:00pm Rain or shine. Free and all ages! facebook

I'd kind of prefer another lightsaber battle, but hey, bubble's are fun, too. My only problem is that I don't have a bubble gun--just a jar of soap with a wand in it. I guess that'll have to do.

Now my only question is this: Will I see you there? :)

Posted via web from thepete's posterous

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Greenaid : Commonstudio--gumball machines repurposed for seedbombs--seedbombs for urban guerrilla gardening

This is easily the best ideas I've heard in a long time. In fact, I think it's been four years since I've heard of an idea almost as good as this--back in 2006 I wrote about cigarette machines that had been repurposed to dispense inexpesnive mini-works of art. So, it's been almost half-a-decade since someone's done something truly cool with something that was pretty bad. This time 'round, it's taking gumball machines that were designed to dispense chewy, sugary, teeth-rotting balls of pre-goo and using them, instead, to dispense wads of dirt and seeds--aka seedbombs.

The concept of seedbombs is a pretty cool one, too--it takes the idea of warfare and spins it around--these bombs don't destroy life, they grow it. The idea is simple--using seedbombs you can "temporarily reclaim and transform" the "many forgotten grey spaces we encounter everyday-from sidewalk cracks to vacant lots and parking medians...The Greenaid dispensary simply makes these guerilla gardening efforts more accessible to all by appropriating the existing distribution system of the quarter operated candy machine. Using just the loose coins in your pocket, you can make a small but meaningful contribution to the beautification of your city!"

Yeah, it doesn't get much more awesome than that--these machines put the power to grow in everyone's hands.

The only problem? These seedbomb machines aren't getting out there enough--looking at the map on the Greenaid page, there are just a handfull of locations along the west coast (and one in Wisconsin!) that you can find them. There are two ways you can help!

Check out their Kickstarter page and toss a couple bucks their way to help sponsor a machine.

Order yourself some seedbombs directly, online, and start waging a guerrilla gardening war on your own. You can get a seedbomb for just $2 or a 12-pack for just $9. Just make sure to order the right kind of seedbomb for your region (if you don't the seeds might not grow). Hell, I'm thinking about getting a 12-pack and then tossing a few into the alley outside my apartment to see what happens--or I might even get a planter for the window next to my desk at home and try a little in-home gardening.

Either way, we need more ideas like this one, which take traditional concepts (candy machines/war) and turns them on their ears (dispensing seedbombs for growing plants in urban areas).

Posted via web from thepete's posterous

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Macincrash: The Final Chapter! But check out what my lovely wife did!

So, here's what my MacBook was like before it died forever:

Even if it hadn't died forever, seeing what I was dealing with every day (chronic crashes like the ones in the above video) convinced my lovely wife to set up a page to help raise the funds necessary for a new MacBook Pro.

If you've got a couple of bucks to spare: http://sierrarein.com/a/petesake

Thanks!

Posted via web from thepete's posterous

Updating my Kindle to 2.5--looking forward to zoomable PDFs!