More “Inside The Perimeter” Wackiness

Since yesterday was the first blog of June had I the proper sleep Sunday night yesterday’s blog would have contained some of this information.

Sunday marked the start my “Digital Media Preferred” initiative. In order to refresh those who have forgotten, I will provide a summary here…

Mission Statement:
“In an effort to reduce the amount of items accumulating in my household, beginning 01-June-2008 the purchase of all new media shall be done electronically and digitally. Physical media purchased shall be limited to “used” media — such as second-hand compact discs purchased at stores, items which are not available digitally, or the rare item whose quality is severely diminished by this limitation — such as magazines containing photos as content.”

There are three Branches to this concept:
Readable: The media in this branch consists of books, magazines, etc. The devices used to consume this media shall be computers as well as e-book readers.
Audible: The media in this branch consists of music, podcasts, audible books, etc. The devices used to consume this media shall be computers as well as portable music players such as an iPod.
Viewable: The media in this branch consists of movies, photos, etc. The devices used to consume this media shall be computers as well as electronic displays such as televisions.

Notice the central role the computer plays in this concept; it is the only device which spans all three branches. In 2008 this should probably not be a revelation, but rather as an exclamation of the continuing importance this technology plays in our lives. The computer, or more precisely the mass storage attached to it, will be the “bookshelf” on which all electronic media is stored.

I have also added and altered some of my goals for this month, including placing a restriction on the number of nights that I will allow myself to eat out. As you can imagine this is an effort to spend less of my disposable income on food and alcohol, as well as to reduce the number of calories that I ingest daily.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

Both Bill and Bob have accused me of wanting to make them my father when I have complimented them excessively. What motivates me to blow up another person bigger than life? Possibly it is because I see this good and want it to be all-in-all. I want to lose myself in it. I don’t know that it’s bad, just excessive. It seems very similar to becoming infatuated with a beautiful woman.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

ITP Flickr Pics
Three photos from last Saturday’s People Photography Field Day

Laura

It’s fairly simple to take a pleasing photo of her.

Brett & Ashley

I could have done without him. 😉 Yes, I think she’s adorable. Yes, they are engaged.

John

Nice guy, currently dating yesterday’s model Liz.

And so ends the People Photography!

I’ve Moved! (To Firefox v3 RC1)
Those who know me well also know of my opposition to change. Therefore it may come as a bit of a surprise to hear that I’ve become a somewhat-early adopter of the next version of Firefox. Yesterday I took the plunge from version 2 to version 3 because I kept hearing wondrous things about the newest Release Candidate.

So far so good, although it’s a bis discomforting to have to alter old habits in order to get the same work accomplished, as well as to see old, familiar websites rendered in a shiny new browser.

RealiTV Update: The Next Food Network Star
With Top Chef winding down I am glad that Food Network has provided me with a substitute. I don’t expect The Next Food Network Star to be as good as Top Chef, but I am hoping that it will satiate my thirst for silly television.

While I think Food Network might believe that they are creating TV stars their track record is not that great. I think of the three previous winners only Guy Fieri, whose shows I’ve never cared for, have made a dent in Food Network’s ratings.

The premise of The Next Food Network Star is very similar to that of Top Chef. In TNFNS the QuickFire Challenges seemed to be replaced by some challenge which is tailored for the Food Network Celebrity appearing that week, and the Elimination Challenges seem to be equivalent.

At first glance most people would think that my favorite is Lisa. It makes perfect sense because I tend to lean toward pretty women with short hair. However, I must admit that while watching the episode I was frightened silly by her.

More complete recaps will be provided in the following weeks.

Digital Download Pick Of The Week
I admit that it’s not as catchy as “CD Pick Of The Week” but if I am going to “Walk The Walk” then I must also “Talk The Talk.”

There are three discs that are being released today that pique my interest — Weezer’s “Weezer (Red Album)”, Shearwater’s “Rook” and Robert Pollard’s “Is Off To Business”.

Because of my new stance toward music I realized that I’d have the ability to actually purchase at least one “disc” prior to blogging and give it a proper listen. Then a funny thing happened… I logged on to Amazon.com and saw that one of the digital downloads (Weezer) was $11 and the other one I wanted (Shearwater) was $10! I don’t know about you, but I am currently having difficulty spending this much money for downloads. It’s my belief that unless the prices begin to drop to reflect the savings created by selling through digital services people will continue to steal or ignore new music. The ball is in your court Music Industry.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – okay
Current Music – Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Death Cab For Cutie — “Long Division”
Website Of The Day – Ever wonder what produce is currently in season near you? Check out this cool Seasonal Produce Map on Epicurious.
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage – 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work – My car
Monthly Marta Rides – 2
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 63 (63)

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice a week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]