Deja Vu all over Again - Kardiac Kids

I can't wait for the Browns - Bills game Sunday. I hope it snows 2 feet! The Christmas season and the return of the Kardiac Kids reminded me of this classic:

On the 12th Day of Christmas Art Model (boo! hiss!) gave to me...

Dave Logan leaping

Doug Dieken blocking

DeLeone a'hikin'

Kardiac Kids a'Winnin'

Darden interceptin'

Newsome a'catchin'

BOTH THE PRUITTS' MOVES....

Alzado attacking

Brian Sipe a'passin'

Don Cockroft Kickin'

on a Rutigliano Super Bowl Team!

Go Browns!

More on the real 12 days of Christmas including a great video by the Indiana University a capella group.

Euclid Ave Construction

I have been pretty quiet recently about the lack of progress and the poor planning on this job because I see a handful of workers out there every day. Of course, the planners should never have counted on late November as having good enough weather to work but that’s just another example of their ineptitude.

What bugs me the most the last few days is that sections of the street are now a single lane! So, for example, turning from Mayfield onto Euclid this AM, cars were backed up in the intersection because a bus was loading/unloading a block down Euclid and there was nowhere to go. This extremely busy stretch of road that includes University Hospital (and all the emergency vehicles!), bus lines, CWRU and all the University Circle Institutions is limited to a single lane.

That’s beyond poor planning.

If there was some great new benefit that the community would enjoy because of this, the hardships would be more easily digested. But if/when this is ever completed, the quality of life won’t be improved – except for those few who were awarded huge contracts for this work.

With all the issues Cleveland has, throwing money away like this is a crime. Someone should be held accountable.

Ed Corrigan

Assistant County Prosecutor Ed Corrigan was killed Thursday morning in a car accident.

For those of you who didn't know, Ed was instrumental in the original incorporation and then the 501c3 status for Computers Assisting People (CAP) Inc.

He volunteered his time and expertise and was with CAP from the beginning. Though extremely busy as prosecutor in the major case group - prosecuting homicides and sexual assaults - he never turned down a request for help from CAP.

He was a straightshooter, hard-working and honest - the kind of guy we wish there were more of. I (and others) always asked him when he was going to run for judge. That was in his near-term plans - he was doing such great work as a prosecutor that he wanted to help there for a while longer. He would have made a fantastic judge.

He served on the CAP Board of Directors from day one.

Ed was only 48 years old.

Please keep Ed and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

He will be missed greatly.

6 boys on Iwo Jima

Sometimes when we look at statues or monuments we think of the "old-timers" that they honor. Often, in reality, the statues honor very young people.

The "men" in the famous Iwo Jima photo and monument were teenagers with the "old man" being 24.

When you read about who the 6 boys were and what happened to them, hopefully it will open your eyes, as it did mine, to the true meaning of Veteran's Day.

iCheap

I just got around to reading the Forbes 400 issue of Forbes Magazine. No, I didn't see my name there.

They had one section called "Cutting Big Checks" that lists the Net Worth, Donated Wealth and Percentage of Wealth given away.

As you might guess, Bill Gates leads the pack having given away $42 billion or 42% of his wealth.

Gordon Moore, Ted Turner, Eli Broad, Alfred Mann and Warren Buffett all come across pretty well too.

But of the $5.7 billion that Apple chief Steve Jobs has, he has given away ZERO, NADA, NIL to philanthropic causes. ZERO!!!

How this marketing genius keeps his "cool" image is beyond me. Having that kind of wealth and not donating any of it is iPathetic, iCheap and iDisgusting.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union

Usually I just post reviews of business, tech or science books on the GreatLakesGeek site.

But I try to do other reading as well and just finished an interesting novel called The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michale Chabon.

As is stated in the review, "I like detective stories. I like alternative histories and I love the Yiddish language - it is so rich and descriptive. So I should have really enjoyed The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. I did enjoy it but not as much as I thought I would."


The framework of Jews finding refuge in Sitka "Alyeska" instead of Israel during/after World war II is a great place to start. But it never developed enough, in my opinion.

Yiddish is so rich, yet the alternative history development was not as deep as it could have been.

Still it's a worthwhile read. Check out my complete review.

Celebrity Double Standards

It kills me when a "celebrity" - famous by birth or because of a TV, music or movie career - dispenses advice for the rest of us - the great unwashed.

Madonna and her ilk tell Joe Blue Collar to cut back on energy consumption as they whiz around on their private jets and limos - not to mention the energy used in their mansions.

But I understand that the Nobel people wanted to make a statement with their Peace Prize this year, just as they did with Yasser Arafat years ago.

As Robert Faletra says in CRN, "Remember, Gore spent $30,000 in electricity and gas bills for his mansion in 2006."

It's a 10,000 square foot house and he used 221,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2006 - more than 20 times the national average.

Read Faletra's column and then comments on his blog. It's not political - left or right. More of a statement about celebrity. Whatever the heck "celebrity" is.

Maybe that's why messages from people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa will endure. They walked their talk. Unlike most current "celebs" and politicians.

Elves, Clowns and Road Construction

I can't really comment much because my friends and I used to paint our faces and wear dawg noses for Browns games. I haven't done that in the new stadium yet - it seems too corporate.

But, for some reason, the girls a few rows ahead of me last Sunday wore Elf/Fairy/Brownie costumes complete with masking tape pointy ears.



But the funniest/strangest get up was from a guy I saw after the game. He was a big guy and not a kid - probably mid-40's. He had on a huge orange clown wig and red nose - just like Krusty the Clown's wig in the Simpsons except it was orange, not blue.



On the back of his jersey it had the name Krustofsky. Too funny!

Not so funny is the same sad situation on Euclid Avenue between Chester and Mayfield. While there are a few infrequent spottings of workers, this prime real estate and important road (hospitals, CWRU, University Circle, commuters, police, fire, EMS, etc.) is largely without any workers.

They could have completed that vital strecth in a few weeks - especially in this great weather - instead of the eternity it is taking.

Maybe they should all be issued Krustofsky jerseys - they are sure acting like clowns.

University Circle Update

Some of you have asked why I stopped posting Euclid Avenue updates. One suggested I was captured by the RTA Police and silenced.

No bus jail can hold me! ;-)

Basically, I have seen 1 or 2 or maybe even 4 on a good day, workers on the important stretch between Chester and Mayfield.

But not much progress. On this beautiful sunny day today, there was 1 guy puttering around this morning. Meanwhile the few lanes were all blocked and an emergency vehicle had to do some crazy maneuvering to get to the hospital.

The other day we spent over 20 minutes going from Chester to Mayfield on Euclid and if an ambulance, police or fire vehicle had needed to get through, they couldn't have. No way.

It's just poor planning and slow progress and someone should be held accountable for this.

I was planning on attending One World Day at the Cultural Gardens on Sunday before the Browns beat the Rave-Hens, but with the construction and now East Blvd torn up too, I may blow it off.

I didn't attend the Midtown Anniversary last night where they offered free preview rides on the RTA Silver Line but I am sure there was plenty of self-congratulations and mutual back-patting going on.

I still have that fear that some emergency vehicle is going to be delayed enough on that 1 mile stretch of Euclid to cause unnecessary suffering or worse. It's inevitable the way the streets are clogged.

Ahoy Matey!

It's that time of year again. It's Annual Talk like a Pirate Day.

The creators of the day have added a new celebration for tomorrow: Walk like a Pirate Day

Before we make anyone walk the plank, there was some roadwork activity on Euclid Ave yesterday. I didn't see anyone there this morning (sigh) but at least they've dusted off some of the equipment.

Is it that the crew is spread so thin or poor planning or what? If no activity on this beautiful sunny day, maybe a keel haul would be in order for the project planners after all

University Circle Update

This morning was a perfect example of the mess on Euclid between Chester and Mayfield.

Besides the usual ugly, torn up streets that students and pedestrians must traverse.

Since they are down to 4 narrow lanes (2 each way), if something goes wrong, it's a major problem. This morning a delivery truck was blocking one of the lanes going West - so 1 lane was open westbound.

Then the sirens started and 2 fire trucks and a rescue squad started coming up Chester. The westbound lane had nowhere to go and the 2 eastbound lanes were packed so everyone had to do some fancy and dangerous maneuvering.

The whole time, I spotted 1 worker sitting in a vehicle.

I hope nobody is injured or killed while waiting for an ambulance or other emergency support while the road sits torn up and practically untouched.

And for what? As Feagler (I think it was him) pointed out, Do you really think the Severance Hall crowd is going to suddenly abandon their cars and decide to hop a bus down to East 4th? The same people who ride the bus now will ride the bus then.

Most people will not abandon their cars because there is a shiny new bus line going up Euclid.

Now if we hadn't sold (for a song) our street cars to Toronto, that would have been a cool, workable option. Don't get me started on that fiasco.

Life in Cleveland is Cyclical

That's the first line in an article called Cleveland Chooses Revival in LastMile Magazine.

It was a surprise to get the mail this morning and see the cover of the July/August 2007 issue. It features former Tech Czar Mike DeAloia standing in front of the Free Stamp holding an award.

Of course, DeAloia has moved on from the Tech Czar post.

The article won't bring anything new to Clevelanders but it gives an insightful look into the process of our municipal broadband initiative. The best part is a callout box that explains "Just what the heck is Michale DeAloia standing in front of on the cover of this issue of Last Mile."

The Free Stamp itself (love, hate, love, etc.) is a good example of the cyclical life in Cleveland.

*******

Euclid Ave Update. 2 workers (1 was sweeping) were spotted between Chester and Mayfield this AM.

Free printer ink - today only

Walgreen's has a special today

Details here.


And I am happy to say that there was significant activity (maybe a dozen guys) working (well, mostly observing) on Euclid Ave. between Chester and Mayfield this morning.

ALL CAPS is like shouting - Duh!

I just finished a very disappointing book.

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home

With e-mail being such a killer app, I thought a NY Times editor and an e-i-c of Hyperion Books might offer some useful tips.

Instead they share such nuggets as explaining the CC and BCC fields and warning not to use all caps. How lame.

Read the review here.

Euclid Ave Update: There was some activity this AM as 4 or 5 workers again stood around a hole in the street and peered in. No shovels lifted or repairs attempted but their studious gaze was the most activity witnessed in many months.

Ups and Downs

Up: Fun pre-game activities at the Brown's Opener.

Down: Do I have to tell you? The game was an embarassment.

Up: Huge flag that covered the entire field was unveiled before the game.

Down: Uh, did I mention the game?

Up: Great halftime tribute to newly inducted Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson. See pics here.

Down: #66 should have been inducted many years ago and maybe he would have been able to appreciate it more.

Up: Fun people with me at the game (Gary Baney and Heidi Hooper from Boundless Flight and Lev Gonick from Case)



Down: Did I mention the game?

Up:The Tribe came through on National TV agaisnt the Angels

Down: OK, no more mention of the game.

Up: There were about 4 guys looking at a huge hole on Euclid this morning about halfway between Mayfield and Chester. WooHoo!

Down: Summer sand volleyball is over

Up: Indoor volleyball starts tonight

And no more talking about the game.

It's on the tip of my tongue

I admire people with a rich vocabulary. Especially those who use it effortlessly as opposed to those who try to impress.

I've always said that an old high school chum (who later went to law school at the University of Chicago and is now with a DC firm) had the best vocabulary I ever came across. He lived off 146th in Cleveland and read every book in their relatively small library branch when he was growing up. He started at the top of one shelf, borrowed as many as they would allow, read them and repeated the process.

Last night I heard Dr. Luis Proenza, President of the University of Akron, speak at a Neosa event at Lockkeepers. I expected him to have a well-prepared presentation. But what impressed me most was his excellent word choice in the extemporaneous Q&A session.

What a great example for his students and the community.

***
Euclid Ave. update - my excitement yesterday may have been premature. There was zero, zip, nada activity again today. Drat.

Could it be?

I think I saw a guy in an earth-moving truck on Euclid near Mayfield today.

He wasn't digging or working with the truck but just having someone in the area is a major accomplishment after the last many months of zero activity.

Hopefully I'll have something good to report soon

What got you here...

As I was finishing up this book - What Got You Here Won't Get You There
How Successful People Become Even More Successful - I realized how many of the 20 bad habits and practices covered in the book were on display in the ongoing Euclid Avenue repairs.

I thought the book would be fluff - and some of it is - but it has some good ideas and you will see yourself and people you know in some of the examples.

Read my full review.

Today is the day after Labor Day and students are back in school and workers are back at work. Except, once again, there is no activity on Euclid Ave. construction between Mayfield and Chester (and as far as the eye can see in both directions). But the street remains torn up and lanes are closed.

Maybe I should buy them a copy of this book.

On a clear day...

On a clear day, maybe you can see forever but again I could not see any activity on the roads.

I made a point of looking far east from Mayfield and Euclid and again as far West as I could down Euclid before turning down Chester and not a sole was in site doing roadwork.

Perfect weather again and one of the city's most popular spots is all chewed up for the big Labor Day weekend without even an indication of progress being made.

Thanks for the many responses from other frustrated Clevelanders.

Cleveland +

It was particularly frustrating being trapped on torn up Euclid Ave. yesterday afternoon. It took about 20 minutes to go less than 1 mile between Chester and Mayfield on Euclid.

As usual there was no sign of any workers - just the torn up streets and closed lanes. So all the University Hospital emergency vehicles and the CASE traffic and the buses and regular commuters sat and steamed.

But the good news (sarcasm intended) is that we were able to glance up and look at the brand spanking new Cleveland+ banner hanging from a building.

I'm sure others were as proud and inspired as I was.

This morning? Not a worker in sight - as usual.

Could it be?

I was cautiously optimistic when I turned onto Euclid this morning. I spied a truck parked in the construction area.

As I got closer I saw that it was parked – probably doing some work at Case or UH.

No activity on the road except for lots of students traversing the torn up avenue. What a shame. Another beautiful day.

University Circle Construction - continued

Not a worker in site Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. Beautiful weather.

It just doesn't make sense that the streets were torn up months ago and there has been very little work done. If they couldn't schedule workers to repair the road they shouldn't have torn it up months in advance.

University Circle Countdown - Continued

Thursday afternoon (8/23) was a nice sunny day, and not a soul was working or in site.

Friday 8/24/07 I took different routes but Saturday the 25th there was nobody there.

Monday 8/27 - beautiful weather again and not a worker to be seen from Mayfield to Chester.

When I travel to my Thursday night volleyball games in Mentor or Sunday afternoon vball at the beach at Headlands, I always see people working on Route 2. Even late at night they have bright lights and work on the road. I don't know why such an important part of the city of Cleveland remains untouched.

University Circle Countdown

As someone who regularly travels on Euclid (twice daily through University Circle and frequently from 4th Street up through Playhouse Square and beyond), I have almost become immune to the deplorable conditions while construction is supposedly going on.

I say "supposedly" because it is rare that I witness any activity.

I was so bummed when the world's spotlight was on us for the Cavs-Spurs series and our major avenue looked like a war zone.

If I have someone in the car while I am commuting from Mayfield to Chester on Euclid every day we always comment about the lack of progress. There is usually not a worker to be seen. Occasionally there will be a pickup truck with someone on the phone inside the vehicle but not much more.

So today I am starting a public posting. I don't expect it to shame anyone into activity but it will make me feel better (grin)

Thursday 8/23/07 9:15 AM. There were Zero, 0, nada, nil, zilch workers on the stretch between Mayfield and Chester on Euclid. No activity at all.

Hogan the TV Star

My black lab Hogan, who blogs here, is going to be on the Golden Opportunities TV show Sunday August 12th at 11:30 AM on Channel 3.

He will be with my sister Debbie who will be discussing, with host Armond Budish, how pets can be a great addition to a seniors life.

Made To Stick

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die is a marketing book for the Internet age.

The book itself is an onomatopoeic marketing test case with its Cleveland Browns-orange cover with a piece of duct tape seemingly stuck to it. The cover was meant to grab your eye and be remembered - made to stick.

The author brothers admit that they got the idea of stickiness from the 2000 Malcolm Gladwell book called The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. The Tipping Point looked at what forces caused something to grow from small groups to huge populations. What we would now call, going viral.

Read my complete review.

Listen Up

I have been a longtime fan of audio books and now podcasts. Anything that lets me get the information without having to dedicate my eyeballs and single task is great for an A type like moi.

I just finished a great bio of Ulysses S Grant on audio and posted it (along with other book reviews) on the Great Lakes Geek site.



Now I am listening to Made to Stick.

What are you reading/listening to?

Cleveland Women networking

The experts from our Great Lakes Chic section hosted a networking event last Monday night at a trendy spot on the Superior Viaduct.

The next one will be open to all my blog readers(that means you).

In the meantime, check out some pics from the event.

Euclid Beach Park

Are you old enough to remember Euclid Beach Park? It was a great amusement park right on the Lake Erie beach off Lakeshore in Cleveland.

It closed after the season in 1969 so I don't remember much but my grandparents lived about 1 mile away so they took us there several times.

I do remember going there as a kid and seeing then Vice-President Hubert Humphrey speaking. He was shouted down by hippies and student demonstrators chanting "Dump the Hump!"

My friends and I picked up the chant and brought it back to the playgrounds in our neighborhood.

When I stopped in at the Arts Collinwood Gallery last week and saw some of the memorabilia, it brought back some of those memories.

We have some great pictures at ClevelandSeniors.com and a profile of Dudley Humphrey whose family has been making those Euclid Beach popcorn balls (and taffy and...) since the turn of last century.

We invited people to share their memories of the park and I am inviting you too. Do you remember Laughing Sal? The Thriller? The Wild Mouse? Dodgems? Tilt-a-whirl? Laugh in the Dark? The Fun House? Let me know

SharePoint and Pizza

Microsoft SharePoint is becoming the next best thing on office workgroup productivity. It's still a little confusing to many though.

We are having a free special Intro to SharePoint on Thursday June 28 from noon to 1:30PM at the Microsoft Office in Independence.

We'll have pizza and pop too so send your lunch with us.

RSVP so we can plan the food.

More details

Cleveland Firefighter Memorial

I think I was one of the first to see this new Memorial. I was driving by Browns Stadium last month and the brightly colored flames caught me eye.

I pulled over, checked it out and took some pictures.

Later that week I heard they were going to dedicate the memorial.

On Memorial Day weekend I was down at the Rock Hall for GuitarMania and was fortunate to be there when the Cleveland Firefighters Bagpipers performed around the new memorial.

I shot a couple minutes of video of the pipers and it's embedded from YouTube on the page.

Mickey Katz, Joel Grey and Jennifer Grey

I get a kick out of this one.

You know that Joel Grey, star of Cabaret, is from Cleveland. His father Mickey Katz was also a performer as is his daughter Jennifer "Dirty Dancing" Grey.

The father, Mickey Katz, did humorous songs in a heavy Jewish accent accompanied by a Klezmer style clarinet.

On a Conan O'Brien show, Mickey's granddaughter Jennifer did one of his songs - complete with the accent and clarinet. Way cool.

Check it out.

Cleveland Powwow

I'm a big fan of the annual Cleveland Powwow held at Edgewater. Native Americans and others show up for a weekend of music, dance, camaraderie and mutual respect.

This year was the 13th annual Powwow and featured some Aztec dancers from Mexico City. What a treat to see them perform a few minutes from downtown.

I posted photos and some of the drums to listen to here.

I am always impressed by the great respect they have for the people who have served in the military and in our country. One would think that this group would have an ax to grind against the government but they are most respectful as you will see in the photos and in the 3rd audio clip.

Free Comic Book Day!

WooHoo! Not only is Saturday May 5th Cinco de Mayo, but it is also Free Comic Book Day!

Check out the recipes for a Tijuana Margarita and Fabulous Fiesta Guacamole for Cinco de Mayo.

Bu then visit your participating local comic book shop to get free comics. Find a store via zipcode search and get more details here.

I'm a 15 year old girl

Everybody has heard about, or been trained to expect, that the person on the other end of that chat or IM is lying egregiously about their age, social status, weight, height, hair and maybe even gender.

All guys are buff fighter jet pilots and all women are supermodels.

Two funny reminders of this. This photo of who is on the other end of a chat will scare some sense into your teenage daughters.

And there is a company called Nerdy Shirts that offers this classic (on the left). (Check out some more of their funky shirts.)

Golly, fellas, I’m hitting 4.000!

Remember when Tribe rookie Gomer Hodge opened the season going 4 for 4 and exclaimed, "Golly, fellas, I’m hitting 4.000!"

Sadly, Gomer is suffering from ALS and can't speak and is in the final stages of the disease. Fans should send a letter or card to
Gomer Hodge
Autumn Care of Saluda
P.O. Box 488
Saluda, NC 28773

Read Terry Pluto's article about Gomer Hodge

Gomer's 83 at bats are a good example of a Villanova prof's recent study. Using a once-controversial statistical method called Bayesian analysis, a Villanova University professor has determined that a lower batting average can indicate better hitting ability than a higher batting average.

Read more at GreatLakesGeek.com

Bob Feller and Billie Jean King

I still am not convinced that most videos (with a business focus at least) are not a waste of bandwidth and a waste of eyeballs. If you just display a headshot of a speaker, that doesn’t bring value. And if I have to dedicate my eyeballs to a video (rather than multitasking by listening while walking the dog or driving) I am less likely to consume that content.

I shot some video on my camera at the ribbon cutting of Heritage Park at Jacobs Field last week. Bob Feller cut the ribbon and the whole clip is about 14 seconds. So I posted that on YouTube and embedded it in a few of my websites. That I think is valuable - or at least fun.

I also shot about 40 minutes of Billie Jean King at the Wolstein Center last week. I did not post that anywhere because, while the content was interesting, the images were basically Billie and her Q&A partner Christine Brennan from USA Today sitting there and speaking. I may pull the audio out and post it but I don’t see the value in the video - do you?

Bill Gates Live

One of the good things about being a Microsoft MVP is the annual MVP Summit in Seattle. On Tuesday March 13, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates gave the keynote address to about 1700 MVPs from about 90 countries.

I can't relate items from the speech because I am under non-disclosure but did post a few general interest items here.

Including a snippet on our old friend Microsoft Bob. ;-)

CompUSA Update

I stopped in at the Chagrin CompUSA today. The good news is most items are 10% off. The bad news is they are NOT honoring the sales prices that were published in the Sunday flyer.

I expect the 10% to grow to 15, 20% and more soon. They are even selling store furnishings and fixtures.

Of course, 10% off CompUSA prices is still much higher than what you can find on-line in most cases.

Cleveland Cooks

Debbi Snook wrote a nice piece on the Cleveland Cooks cookbook in today's PD in the Taste section.

Besides all the great recipes representing Cleveland's ethnic diversity, Snook mentions some of the many local celebrities who have recipes in the book.

Check out her article

or get more details on the cookbook, including purchase options.

Y2K Vu all over again

There's a lot of buzz about the imminent early Daylight Saving Time.

Most of our devices pre-date the recent law adding the 4 extra weeks (3 before, 1 after) to DST.

That will affect some PCs and other devices.

Learn what you can/should do at GreatLakesGeek.com

The Name Game

OK, this is frivolous but it's fun.

Check out the new Name Game either here or here and see what you new name would be as a:

Gangsta, Drag Queen, Soap Opera Star, Goth, Detective and so on.

Just call me Danizzle.;-)

Or Joseph Montford or ...

Beat up by a Woman?

That used to be a school-yard taunt. “A girl could beat you up!”

After meeting professional boxer Vonda Ward at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards banquet last night, I humbly submit to the fact. She could beat me up!

The 6’6” Ms Ward was one of many amateur and professional athletes at the event.

Check out photos

Also, check out the brief podcast with Good Morning Anchor and event MC Robin Roberts who told me about the state of women’s athletics and why we shouldn’t compare the NBA and the WNBA.

Rock and Roll Memories

I’m of that age where I used to practically live at the old Agora (on 24th and Payne) on weekends and for concerts. I saw some amazing local and national bands there including The Cars, Todd Rundgren, Meatloaf, Ian Hunter, Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and plenty more.
So close to home, so intimate, so cool. I miss it. (I know, the new Agora is just down the street on Euclid but it’s not the same (or I’m not.))

And I am one of the few who really saw Bruce Springsteen twice on the same night. We saw him at the Coliseum and heard that Southside Johnny would be at the Agora. After the last song at the Coliseum we hauled a** and drove to the Agora and got there about 2 minutes before Southside introduced his “surprise” special guest. Wow – what a night.

I was also fortunate to be working with the electricians for most of the World Series of Rock concerts so I got to hang out backstage with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart and the Faces, J Geils, and so many more. By luck I took the best close-up of Peter Frampton in history. Better than the album cover.

I have a million stories from the World Series of Rock and the Agora days (not to mention the Euclid Tavern, The Flipside, Peabodys, etc) and got called by Carlo Wolff several months ago to share some for his book. The timing was terrible for me and after about a dozen calls and e-mails, Carlo gave up.

But he did produce the book, Cleveland Rock and Roll memories. Maybe I’ll have to write my own sometime.

Book review

Pics from the launch party

Neosa Webcast

I will be doing the Neosa webcast Wednesday (Jan 17) at 11AM with Jim Cookinham.

We'll be talking about/showing some new items from CES and MacWorld. Also taking a look at Microsoft Windows Vista and the new version of Office.

You can register at anty time or view the webcast Wednesday here.

Viva Las Vegas

I made the annual trek out to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. While I miss Comdex and the strict IT focus of that show, I have to admit that CES has some fun stuff.

I used my new Olympus digital voice recorder to do a bunch of podcasts from the show floor. They have a lot of crowd noise but I think it adds to the audio.

I've started posting them on the Great Lakes Geek site here

While there it was Elvis Presley's birthday so there were flowers and signs by his statue in front of the Las Vegas Hilton.