Hats Off!

I'm not much of a hat person. Even when it's cold.

I know some guys who always have a baseball cap on. Why have something on your head when you don't need to?

Women have always been more into hats. I was reminded of this at the Virginia Marti Millinery Show this week. They must be fashionable because they sure aren't practical!

Check out some more hat pics from the event.

Rock on Cleveland!

I have a long history with live music in this town. Nothing says Cleveland or rock and roll to me as much as a live band in a neighborhood bar that has character, not cookie-cutter predictability.

I'm a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and am thrilled that the 2009 induction ceremonies are back in Cleveland. I'm also thrilled that there will be an entire week of festivities that we can all partake in.

I got excited about the week listening to Rock Hall bigwigs Terry Stewart and Joel Peresman at Landerhaven last week.

Check out the audio and pictures at GreatLakesGeek.com
But the most fun has been the reminiscing. As I was writing, I started recalling bands and clubs I used to hang out at - and some I still do. A great trip down the proverbial memory lane.

But I know my list (curse you brain cells!) is limited and I'd really like my memory to be jogged so please look at the clubs and bands I mentioned here and then tell me the bands and clubs that were your favorites (either on this blog or at the Geek article)

Rock On!

PS I just know that Joe Perry and Steven Tyler will be there to induct and jam with Run DMC!

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

First the February thaw. Then the Swimsuit issue. Forget about that groundhog in PA - spring is not too far.

It's no surprise that the issue David Letterman reveals tonight on Late Night at the stroke of midnight will be nearly 33% advertising pages "thinner" because of the economy. Still, Swimsuit 2009 fared better than at its 20th anniversary in 1984 and its 30th in 1994.

It was a powerful franchise then (thank you, Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson) and a mega-franchise now. Over the 45 years since Swimsuit's "modest" debut in 1964, it has put an estimated $1 billion into Time Inc.'s coffers.

See the SI swimsuit covers

Hitler and the Browns

Not for the faint of heart



In case the embedding doesn't work for you

2009 Economic Forecast

I am always a little skeptical of economic forecasts. It seems that most economists, by their own admission, are what they call two-handed economists.

This means that they make a prediction and then say “on the other hand…” and make a different prediction.

Not a lot of help.

But when an economist with the reputation of Richard DeKaser, Senior VP & Chief Economist, National City Bank, speaks you should listen.

What was perhaps the best part for Cleveland and our region were the few short comments made by Paul Clark, Regional President of National City Bank now part of PNC. (Yes, that mouthful is what they call the bank now)

So many in Cleveland are/were worried about the loss of NCB’s charitable dollars to the community. Clark tried to assuage that fear.

Give Clark a listen and see what DeKaser predicts for 2009.

One interesting note stood out. DeKaser said we need to give a stimulus check to those who don’t pay taxes because they will spend it! The tax payers who got checks were more likely to save it or apply to bills but the non-taxpaying would spend it.

Remind me of this next time I complain

This has been around for a while I guess, but it was new to me. A short video of a guy with no arms or legs speaking to a bunch of students.

It's well worth the 2 and 1/2 minutes it takes to view the video.

Check it out

A Grammar Book for You and I (...Oops, Me!)

The good sisters at St. Margaret Mary gave me a very good start in grammar but with relaxed societal expectations, built-in spelling and grammar checkers and eagle-eyed editors at Inside Business Magazine I felt that I had lost some of my grammar chops.

In this day of short message services, texting to BFFs and a preference for speed rather than grammar in e-mail, proper grammar can make you stand out.

So I decided to be less lazy with my writing and speaking and used this book as a refresher for some of my difficult areas.

Some of the rules I learned way back when still apply - as in Effect is (usually) a noun and Affect (usually) a verb.

I was bummed that my old trick of Principal being a Pal and hence a person didn't apply but most of the other stuff either was still in the old noggin or came back pretty fast.

I posted the book review on GreatLakesGeek so check it out if your grammar ain't (grin) quite what it used to be.

Don't Chalk up Brown's season to Lebron James

What a terrible game, season and team.

As a season ticket holder since I got my driver's license, I go to most of the games. This year was especially painful. But don't have the sick feeling that I usually have after a Brown's loss. Sometimes after a loss I would feel physically sick for a few days (no, not just hungover!)

But yesterday was so pathetic that it was almost laughable.

We had fun at the game though one girl's coke froze solid and our beers turned to slush. Really. The action on the field was a joke. How did Dorsey ever get on an NFL roster?

I am already enduring calls and e-mails from Steelers fans who say the bumblebees will be sending their CYO team to beat us, they don't need their pro team.

Maybe the Browns need to throw some chalk in the air before each game. Hey it works for Lebron. The Cavs are a pleasure to watch.

Lebron has a new video clip of the chalk-throwing ritual and fans will be given chalk at the Christmas game vs the Wizards so that they can join the King in the chalk throwing.

Buh-bye Romeo and Phil.

CAP needs PCs

The good news is that the volunteers of Computers Assisting People (CAP) are on schedule to refurbish and donate about 600 PCs to needy schools, community centers and other non-profits in Cleveland in 2008.

The not-so-good news is that we are running out of PCs to work on. Our stack of requests remains high but our supply is dwindling. We expected a surge as people upgraded to Windows Vista but that never took place.

So we need your (and your company’s) PCs. We can use Pentium 3 and up systems. CAP is a 501c3 and will provide a receipt for your donation. You and your accountant can figure out a value.

Remember, we not only wipe the hard drive but rewrite over the entire surface with a random series of 0’s and 1’s (DoD specification) so that your data can never be recovered.

CAP volunteers then test, configure and build up components in the system and put a legal operating system on each. (CAP was one of the first Microsoft Authorized Refurbishers in the world!)

Then we give them to local non-profits so they can fulfill their missions. Often, we set the PCs up in networks so they can be shared by a community, class or group.

See a list of the 350+ local organizations CAP has helped.

As you make upgrade plans, please consider CAP. CAP volunteers have donated over 10,000 PCs to local non-profits in our attempt to bridge the Digital Divide and make Cleveland a more productive and livable city.

Thank you,

Dan

Kenny G Holiday Show

I am listening to Mumbo Jumbo by the Tail Gators as I write this. A great, rocking, swampy tune and album.

I must admit I have never listened to an entire Kenny G CD so I can't really judge him. I can say that I respect his mastery of the saxophone and his incredible talent. But for now, it's more Gators.

But if Kenny G is more to your liking, you can win free tickets to his Holiday Show at the Palace Theatre in Playhouse Square.



He will be performing Sunday December 14th and ClevelandWomen.Com has 10 free tickets to give away.

Visit the site and enter the contest - and tell me if you like Kenny G.

Female Sexual Dysfunction

I thought that title might get your attention.

I attended the annual 2008 Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit this past week. It's always a fascinating event - especially to a layperson - and draws almost 1,000 international visitors and some huge name speakers.


I'll be posting pics/video and text on GreatLakesGeek soon but in the meantime, this cracked me up.

The topic of last year's summit was the Heart. 2009 will focus on cancer. But in 2008 the topic was Urology and Gynecology. So many of the attendees were experts in the field. At lunch and other social events, experts in particular field naturally congregated together.

I was just glad I wasn't seated at this table for lunch.

Laughter is the best medicine

This is from The Comedy Barn in Tennessee. One of the guy's laugh is so funny and infectious that you will have to laugh along.

You know it's tough out there...

When a guy like Steve Bass gets the pink slip. Steve has been writing for PC World Magazine for well over 10 years. But recently, he and Steve Manes and others got the boot.

Steve will be OK - he just started up a new venture called TechBite - but it makes you wonder about the future of print journalism.

Read more and listen to a podcast with Steve Bass at GreatLakesGeek.Com

High School Girls

We held our 2nd annual ClevelandWomen.Com Future Leaders event for high school girls earlier this month.

About 150 girls from 13 schools - urban/suburban and public/private - attended.

The speakers were just incredible - Former Mayor Jane Campbell, Entrepreneur Cathy Horton, Dr. Celestin from the Cleveland Clinic, Maurielle Lue of Channel 5. Marlene Kobzowicz from Virginia Marti, Juliana Kascsak from US Bank and Dean Linda Eisenmann of JCU.

We captured photos and some video snippets of all the speakers - and some of the other activities. Check out the event here

Be sure to watch the short videos from Maurielle Lue. At only 24 years of age, this young reporter really spoke the girl's language.

Bone It!

It's painful watching the Browns - especially when we had such high expectations this year.

But take some good advice on dealing with disappointment in sports and in life from none other than the Bonelady.

The Bonelady is a regular columnist on our sister site, ClevelandWomen.com and she offers surprisingly good advice for someone wearing dog bones.

Here's her intro column and here's one after the loss to the dreaded Steelers.

Can't wait to see what she writes about the latest debacle.

It's a Bird, it's a Plane...

There's a terrific new exhibition at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. It's called Zap! Pow! Bam! The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950

By now you should know that Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived in Cleveland when they created and drew the Man of Steel.

The exhibit shows that many of the comic book creators were Jewish and that many of the super hero characters they created became beloved symbols of human potential and the triumph of good over evil.

Bring the kids - there are some fun activities for them too - rides in the Batmobile, a chance to draw the Joker and others, costumes to wear and a phone call from Superman himself.

Here are some photos and more info from the show.

Fannie Lewis

“You da Man!”

Those are the words Fannie Lewis yelled to me as my sister and I left her Hough home. We had been there early one Saturday morning to do a profile of the powerful Cleveland City Council member for both ClevelandSeniors.com and ClevelandWomen.com.

It was very early in the morning and Fannie was still dressed in her nightgown but she was busy working the phones as people from her neighborhood called for help. Watching her work the phones was impressive. She was decisive, firm and no-nonsense but she was also compassionate.

You could tell that her life as councilwoman in Hough was a 24x7 job. And that she loved it and the people of her Ward and the city of Cleveland.

After the interview, she asked about us and our business. She congratulated me for looking after my sister and as I walked off her porch she cried, “You da Man!” I looked back, grinned and waved and as I got into the car across the street she yelled it again.

She had no higher political ambitions – she was focused on the people in her city and especially in her beloved Hough area.

In these times of political corruption and “what’s in it for me” a dedicated, caring public servant like Fannie Lewis was will be harder and harder to find.

She will be missed.

Read our profile of Counciwoman Fannie Lewis

Cleveland Indians season

Even though the baseball season hasn't turned out like we hoped and expected, good things are still happening at Progressive Field, such as:

The Cleveland Indians Wives Association benefit for Providence House (see Pictures and Video here)


and I always get a kick out of the senior citizens band at the Tribe games. Win or lose, they make it fun. Here is a 30 second clip of Take Me out to the Ballgame from those guys. True fans.

And here are some women fans (short video) who haven't given up on the Tribe yet.

Go Tribe!

Hard Drive in Shake-o-matic paint shaker

It's sad, I know. But I am finally getting to some of my reviews and videos from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that was in Vegas way back in January.

I just posted a review and a video about a Solid State Drive I saw at one of the events.

Because it is solid state and has no moving parts, there are a lot of benefits - reliability, boot-up speed, less heat, less power, etc.

But the video really shows the difference between a traditional drive and an SSD. You would never even nudge a regular magnetic drive while in operation.

Of course, the drives are still very small capacity and very expensive but it's a first step.

Check it out.

Euclid Ave Construction - revisited

I haven’t written about the fiasco on Euclid Ave. for awhile. It was getting repetitious – no progress, few if any workers, blocked lanes, etc.

Just yesterday I waited (and waited) at a light at East 40th and Euclid. The several middle lanes for the bus were unused. The bike lanes were unused. But the one lane they left open for car traffic was packed.

And where a person used to be able to safely wait for the bus from the sidewalk, they now have to cross the street and walk down the middle to the bus stop.

As I waited for the light I saw two younger people jaywalk and cross Euclid to get to the bus stop. Worse, I witnessed an older woman with a cane cross at the crosswalk and laboriously make her way down to the bus stop. This is progress?

Euclid up by University Circle is still a joke. There is one lane open for traffic in each direction. That’s outrageous.

So on Monday when an emergency vehicle had to get through, all hell broke loose. I hope the delay the vehicle had to endure did not harm anyone.

On this beautiful sunny day there were zero workers between Mayfield and Chester on Euclid. 2 cops “assisting” traffic but nobody working. And that is typical.

And if you never get to, say, Playhouse Square, take a trip down just to see the mess in the streets.

Somebody should be held accountable for this.

Tim Russert

What a tragedy. Tim Russert passed away, apparently of a heart attack, at age 58 today.

Best known for hosting Meet the Press, Tim Russert is a fellow John Carroll University alumnus. In fact, he was a few years ahead of my sister Pat and they dated. We always kidded her that she made the wrong choice in marrying husband Tom, instead of Tim Russert.

I saw him speak at a benefit for Tri-C a few years back and he seemed like a very regular guy. When given a signed Cavs basketball, he showed off how he could palm it.


I reviewed his book, Big Russ and Me when it came out a few years ago. If you haven't read it yet, now's a perfect time (just before Father's Day) to check it out.

Tim was instrumental in bringing a little known band from the East Coast to JCU - a guy by the name of Bruce Springsteen and his band.

He will be missed.

Amazing new photo - Water on Mars

Even if you are not into astronomy or any kind of science, you will be amazed by the vivid colors in this photo (I believe it is the first) of water on Mars.

Check it out

The Trash Can Icon

One of the things I like most about the PC industry is how new it is - and that I got to experience a lot of it.

In the late 1970’s, Robert X. Cringely joined the Homebrew Computer Club and met Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. They invited him to join their new company, Apple.

That kicked off an eventful career that led to his columns in InfoWorld Magazine, the book Accidental Empires and his PBS specials.

Cringely was the keynote speaker at the recent NEOSA Best of Tech Awards and I was able to capture some audio and ask a question.

How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything...in Business (and in Life)

I've been down on a lot of the business books that have crossed my path recently. Too many take one catchy idea that could be explained in a single chapter and surround it with a few hundred pages of padding to make up a book.

I was not optimistic when I picked up How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything...in Business (and in Life)by Dov Seidman. It sounded like similar fluff.

But it is actually a pretty solid and deep presentation.

Check out the review here.

This one's on me

With those words on the official Nine Inch Nails website, Trent Reznor announced that the new NIN album would be released for free download to the fans.

The site says, "Click HERE to get the new full-length nine inch nails record: the slip (thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me)

How cool!

You have several download options - mp3 is best for most - and it is all DRM free.

Free Software - 1 day only

If you've been using PCs for awhile, you probably have multi-headed Hydra-like Laplink cables somewhere. Back in the day, you needed Laplink software and those cables (serial or parallel!) to move files from PC to PC.

Laplink has been publishing great software for the last 25 years and May 15th is their 25th anniversary.

So they are giving away the full version of PCmover, the #1 selling product to automatically set up a new PC, for free for one day only.

Get the details here.

Tijuana Margarita

Monday May 5th is Cinco de Mayo and what better way to celebrate than with a nice Tijuana Margarita and some Fiesta Guacamole. Both recipes are on our sister site.

Ever wonder what Cinco de Mayo is all about?

Check it out here.

Don't tick off an engineer

Imagine the confusion when a clerk receives this check.

It's a pretty simple calculation actually but may not be evident to the person processing the check.

For thiose interested, see the amount and how it's derived here.

So that's why road construction is so slow

Regular readers of this blog know how I've not been happy with the poor planning and lack of accomplishments with the Euclid Ave. construction.

Now I know why. Maybe the orange barrels have been partying a little too much.

The Parade after the Parade

After another fantastic St Patrick's Day Parade (see lots of pics here) I couldn't help but notice the parade after the parade.

As the last groups were lining up to start their march down Superior, I saw a line of street cleaners getting ready to start their own little parade.

Very efficient!

Channel 19's Danielle Serino and Salsa

No, I don't mean the kind of salsa you eat with chips.

When we did a profile of WOIO news anchor Danielle Serino recently, one of the things we learned was that she is a very good salsa dancer.

Who knew?

We posted a video of her dancing (wow!) in her ClevelandWomen.com profile. Check it out.

I don't think I was ever able to move like that.

Progressive Field

Yep, It's Progressive Field now. The Prog, the Pro - just not (hopefully) the P to go along with the Q across the street.

They changed thousands of signs. They save the last letter on the huge sign at the corner of Ontario and Carnegie for last.

Listen to a podcast with Tribe PR VP Bobbie DiBiasio and see some more videos here.

Here's a cople minutes of the workers lifting and placing the final letter in the sign.

Cleveland Indians 2008

It's hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the Tribe played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and then Jacobs Field opened and it is now Progressive Field.

It's even harder to believe that it's been 60 years since 1948 - the year of our last World Championship Baseball team.

The Indians came close last year and I expect their pitching to keep them in the hunt this year - even against the huge salaries of Boston, New York and even the Detroit Tigers.

Slider's back and he has 3 new characters joining him - Ketchup, Mustard and Onion. See more pics of what's new for the 2008 season.

And check out this short (1:38) video of Indians VP of PR Bobby DiBiasio getting a special greeting from Slider.

Tell us about your first. Mine was Trash

My first store-bought personal computer was a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1. Of course, the TRS-80 series was nicknamed Trash-80 but they were pretty good machines for the time.

It ran both a proprietary OS called TRS-DOS as well as the optional CP/M.

There were some decent apps like the Scripsit word processor and Visicalc for spreadsheets.

It was a very powerful feeling to change a variable in a spreadsheet and watch the changes ripple through an entire sheet.

Visitors to GreatLakesGeek.com are asked to tell what their first PC was - a TRS-80? Apple II? Commodore 64? TI? Or did you not get a PC till the IBM PC came out?

Tell us about your first - Vote here.

American Pi

Friday March 14th is Pi Day and the real celebration is at 1:59:26 p.m.

At that time, the numbers will be 31415926 and of course Pi starts off as 3.1415926.

If that's not geeky enough for you, here is how PI starts off so you can memorize and amaze/annoy your fellow geeky friends.

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028
841971693993751058209749
4459230781640628620899862
80348253421170679 8214
808651328230664709
38446095505822317253
594081284811174502841
0270193852110555964462294
895493038196 442
8810975665933446128475
6482337867831652712019091...

continued here

Lots more good Pi info too

Hogan and Marley and Me

I finally got around to reading the best seller, Marley & Me by John Grogan. The subtitle is “Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog.”

Actually, I listened to the audio version of the book and reader Johnny Heller does an outstanding job.

If you are a dog person, you will laugh and cry (yes, that’s a cliché but it fits) as you hear the all-too-familiar stories. Marley was a yellow lab. My current and last dog is/was a black lab. (Read Hogan’s blog) While there are some lab specific tales in the book, the human-canine relationship will be recognized by all dog owners.


Warning – just as in real life, dogs have a tragically short life span compared to humans. So the chapters leading up to Marley’s end are painful to anyone who has had to go through that experience.

But the conclusion puts it in perspective well.

People who have not had dogs will wonder how the author could put up with all the crazy activities and hassles of their pet. Dog lovers will realize that the word “pet” is a misnomer – dogs become part of the family.

As Grogan says, "Life without a dog is easier and immensely more simple." It’s a dog owner thing.

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

Johnson Chon and State Farm - stay away

Last summer, an older lady hit my car in our church parking lot. Nobody was hurt, we were friendly (just came out of church!) and she admitted she had a tough day and apologized.

We exchanged information and she said she had a former student who had a body shop and she asked if I would go see him for an estimate. No problem. No need for a police report or anything.

I went to her friend, he gave an estimate and he told her the damage (about $500)

She turned it over to her insurance company, State Farm. She gave me the number to call so they could have it fixed and send the check. So far so good.

Then I get a call from someone from State Farm named Johnson Chon. He had to be the rudest, loudest jerk I have ever dealt with on the phone.

Even though his client had admitted her fault, Johnson Chon tried to pin it on me. He asked, accusingly, why no police report. I explained. He demanded that I describe the church parking lot and said since there were no traffic signs; his client was not at fault. Traffic signs in a church parking lot?

He went on and on, getting louder and louder and more obnoxious. I reported this to the lady who hit me and she apologized and said she would call them.

In a few days she called back and said that Johnson Chon told her that maybe she didn’t hit my car because there was no police report and no traffic signs in the parking lot. He told her she/they shouldn’t have to pay. By this time, she was very confused and we commiserated about the badgering tactics of this jerk.

In a nutshell, she was so badgered and intimidated by this rude, obnoxious State Farm rep that she cancelled the claim with them.

So State Farm saved a few hundred dollars and cost an old lady some cash and badgered a few people into never doing business with them. And hopefully convincing others to not do business with them either.

I am sure Johnson Chon will go far.

2 wild videos

This first one is where a few hundred people suddenly freeze in place, at the same time, in New York's Grand Central Station. It freaks people out as you will see. Very well done.

The second is a wild salsa dance routine from none other than Ch 19's Danielle Serino.

Lots of Interesting Links

I was very surprised to run into an old pal the other day who said he reads my blog but didn't visit any of my web sites.

I explained to him that I very rarely post to the blog but the websites get new stuff every day.

So for those of you who didn't know, here are a couple of cool postings on some of my web sites.

On GreatLakesGeek.com we have some great pics and video from Jim Cookinham's retirement party.

Also more from the Tech Czar, Mike DeAloia.

On ClevelandPeople.com we have some great pics and videos from a Chinese New Years Lion Dance at Asia Plaza as well as pics from the Cleveland Cavaliers Black Heritage Celebration and the visit to Cleveland of the Ambassador from the People's Republic of China.


The ClevelandSeniors.com site has a great profile of Fox 8's Tim Taylor as well as the life of Jim Cookinham Both with tons of photos!

on ClevelandWomen.com we have new fashion and makeup experts that are getting a great response. And we have some fascinating Cleveland Women profiles about ready to post.

So as he scolded me to post more to the blog, I reminded him (and now you!) that the real action is on the websites. But I will try and do better.

Euclid Construction

We have been fortunate to have unseasonably dry and warm weather. One might expect this to positively impact the progress on Euclid Avenue repairs, no?

No, is right.

After a week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I returned for my daily commute to nice weather and one, count 'em, one solitary worker on Euclid between Mayfield and Chester.

So this vital stretch that covers University Circle, CWRU and University Hospitals is still torn up and limited to a couple of lanes that must be shared with emergency vehicles.

I'm not saying it's as bad as this photo where the guys block their van in but...

In addition I am less than impressed at the completed sections of Euclid. In the past, bus riders on Euclid, around 36th or 40th say, would simply go from the curb to the bus. Now they have to navigate and cross to that space-sapping and ugly island in the middle of the street. The 3 lanes of traffic each way are now down to 1 lane.

This is progress? Heads should roll.

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.

The Mysterious Tin Fu Club Meets Again

The Mysterious Tin Fu Club Meets Again.

The Tin Fu Club had a Holiday Gathering on Thursday, December 14th and a very diverse group met.

Check out some pictures of the 45 or so Tin Fu Clubbers

Bill Gates for President

Dilbert creator Scott Adams has jumped on the bandwagon to elect Bill Gates as president of the USA in 2008 citing his business success and charitable efforts.

(Hey, we've had worse)

What do you think? Ross Perot was a businessman as was Jimmy Carter, so it's not unheard of (though Steve Forbes never got more than a few percentage points)

Visit the Gates for President site and then vote in the Great Lakes Geek survey.

The Office

I am a big fan of The Office. I was even given a Dwight K. Schrute bobblehead which sits atop one of my PCs.

Read Dwight’s blog

But it’s that other Office that can get confusing.

You won't be able to upgrade your Microsoft Office 2000 in January so you will miss out on the less expensive upgrade price.

Read about some strategies you might want to try to get the lastest office and spend the least.

Get your own Dwight Schrute Bobble Head

Very short stories from Wired Magazine

Last month’s Wired magazine (which I just got around to) has an outstanding section called Very Short Stories. It’s based on Hemingway’s six word story which Papa called his best work. Here it is:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.


Brilliant! So Wired got 33 writers to come up with 6 word science fiction stories and some are just incredible.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Computer – Did we bring batteries? Computer?
By Eileen Gunn

Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth.
By Vernor Vinge

Lie detector eyeglasses perfected: Civilization collapses
By Richard Powers

The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
By Orson Scott Card

Check it out:

OSU-Michigan or Six Sigma?

Former GE CEO Jack Welch spoke at Tri-C Corporate College this AM about quality and innovation. Throughout the day there will be classes on lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and other processes.

Welch began his presentation with an announcement of a special Six Sigma presentation to be held the next day (Saturday) at 3:30 PM that will go for about 3 hours (during the Ohio State-Michigan game). Moderator Les Vinney, CEO of Steris, countered that “Hopefully by halftime we’ll be able to attend.”

Welch said he didn’t know who would win the big game. “I went to Illinois – we can’t beat anyone.”

Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines

Here's a bunch of jokes trashing Michigan for this Saturday's big game. Feel free to replace Michigan with Pittsburgh Steelers in time for Sundays game. ;-)

Go Bucks and Go Browns!

Hidden Treasures

I also checked out the preview of the Hidden Treasures of the Diocese of Cleveland at Josaphat's Art Hall on 33rd. Not a lot of items there but it is such a cool place and the items were interesting. Check it out while you can - it's free.
More information.

Fabulous Cleveland Women

I spent much of the weekend at the Fabulous Food Show at the IX Center. ClevelandWomen.com had a booth and there were about 35,000 attendees!

The celebrity chefs get treated like rock stars.

We posted a bunch of pics on the ClevelandWomen.com site - Robin Swoboda (remember her? She'll have a new show this January on Fox 8) , Paula Deen, Bubba Baker, Carl Monday and more

Absolutely Fabulous

The Fabulous Food Show is Friday-Sunday at the IX Center.

I’ll be in booth # 467 for ClevelandWomen.com a good chunk of the time though may be sampling some vino occasionally.

We (ClevelandWomen.com) are giving away over $35,000 in spices and seasonings from Durkees/Tone Brothers.

Also, some great raffle prizes from Dollar Bank (4 Tribe club seats with food!), Plant Magic (a holiday centerpiece), John Roberts Spas (Spa package) and more.

Stop by and say “Hi”

17 Seconds in Heaven?

Time is relative of course but 17 seconds isn’t very long (unless you are underwater or in terrible pain or…)

But Dr. Miles Jones of Net Doctor International told me that on average, we only have 17 seconds to explain our situation to our doctor before he or she takes over the conversation.

And then the whole visit is only 13 minutes including the greeting, checking the chart, small talk and writing up the new information.

That’s just one of the reasons that Dr. Jones is an advocate on on-line healthcare. For more, listen to the podcast from the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit.

Oy Vey

I’ll admit that I don’t know any Hebrew (outside of a few characters used in mathematics) but I do get a kick out of a lot of the Yiddish terms I hear used. There’s a bunch of them here.

It's a really rich language and some words describe the situation better than any English counterpart I can come up with.

And I haven’t yet seen a Microsoft Zune. I’ve been happy with my Creative MuVo mp3 player that I've had forever.

What’s the connection?

Some Hebrew linguists (they are divided on this issue) say that the word “zune” is pretty darn close to the Hebrew vulgarity for the “f” word.

Microsoft says they are aware of the similarity in pronunciation
to the Hebrew zi-yun.

I think it’s bobbyemseh that Microsoft did this on purpose. Probably some alter cocker came up with this. Some people will kvetch about anything. Be a mensch, not a schmendrick.

Zie Ga Zink. ;-)

Bang a Gong

Yikes! The Bell of Free Speech has been Silenced as the Historic City Club of Cleveland Gong goes Missing.

Missy Toms just sent out this message.

City Club employees believe that the gong and gavel, which are valued at $4,000, were taken sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday, October 13, 2006, and 11 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2006. City Club officials are reviewing building security tapes in hopes that they will be able to determine what happened.

The gong was donated to The City Club by Dr. Louis Siegelstein, a City Club member. His family obtained the gong from what was then Shanghai, China in the 1930s. Since then, the gong has signaled the beginning and the closing of all City Club Forums and programs. It is heard every Friday on the live radio broadcasts of City Club Forums on WCLV-FM and on The City Club’s radio network, which includes more than 200 stations across the country. In addition, viewers see it every week on the WVIZ television broadcast of Friday Forums.

The City Club will not seek prosecution if the person returns the gong. Anyone with information about the gong is asked to call The City Club at 216.621.0082.

”The City Club gong is an immensely important artifact for The City Club and the city of Cleveland. It has become a symbol of free speech, ringing in historically significant speakers for many years, including several U.S. presidents and Cleveland mayors, Babe Ruth, and Rosa Parks,” says City Club executive director James Foster. “We hope that the person who took the gong will realize its value to our region and the nation. We welcome its return with no questions asked.”

Let' get that gong back!