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.