Category: longform
Essays, articles, and other original content.
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Kim’s big SXSW 2010 show recommendations list
While we can’t go this year, my wife Kim and I usually find all sorts of exciting music at SXSW each year. The secret is, she’s the one who finds all the good stuff – I’m just lucky enough to tag along. Several people have asked for her SXSW 2010 recommendations, so here they are…
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Voting, Texas-style – Austin’s Very Own #51
After voting in the Texas Primaries, Kim and I discuss the fun of the voting process. A loud motor-scooter goes by and launches us into a conversation of impolite noises. Click here for episode MP3 To listen to the episode, subscribe to the podcast feed in iTunes or whatever, download the episode directly, or click…
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Things that cannot be done
I have been trying to use my iPhone for more publishing scenarios, but the limitations are bad for even the simplest things on a laptop: most tools don’t provide formatting options. Like a bullet lost in the WordPress app I’m using to write and publish this. Hence my astrick use. lack of spell check. I…
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D K Sushi and Seoul Asian Food Market – A Brief Review
DK’s is a neighborhood sushi bar – a few blocks from my house – if that concept even makes sense. There’s tables inside a small Asian market, and you walk up to the beer fridge to select your beer and sake. The sushi is delicious and affordable, and it’s a casual place. The same sushi…
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The last week of January
This month started off with my birthday, as it does every year. Kim was kind enough to throw me a surprise party – the second she’s done – and many people were kind enough to come. Some even brought gifts, one of which I quickly finished off, mostly on the night of the party with…
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Lost on a Pacific Resort Island, Saved by HEB
In this dream, I was traveling with a group of people, including Kim. In one leg of our travel, someone planned a detour or a plane crash which landed us on Maui. We were on the beach of Maui, and not knowing the people too well, I split off from them. This island wasn’t really…
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“I’m in your hands”
It’s hard to get good customer service, but it’s hard to be comfortable expecting it. On a recent Robert Brook episode he complains at length about the lack of old school customer service in London book stores: at the grand old Foyles in London. At least, he makes it sound as if it had been…
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Notes from No Maps for these Territories
Last night I watched No Maps for these Territories which can get seriously embarrassing to watch in front of your spouse (who didn’t faun over the cyberpunk as kid) at times. You know, like, “too heavy, man” and “what are you watching?” sort of stuff. Esp. when Bono starts reading. Bono! It’s essentially a bunch…
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Frank – A Hot Dog Review
At Frank, it’s hot-dog gimmicks and bacon galore, but they’re good eating at not too high of a cost. We have a weird mixture of “hand crafted”/local food and a love of fast-food here in Austin resulting in gourmet food from trailers, burger battles, and now hot-dogs. The “Artisan” hot-dogs are fun and tasty –…
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Death by GPS
Check out this excerpt from the pretty good report “TORA BORA REVISITED: HOW WE FAILED TO GET BIN LADEN AND WHY IT MATTERS TODAY”: Afghan villagers who were providing food and other supplies for the Al Qaeda fighters at Tora Bora also confirmed bin Laden’s presence. Fury said some of the villagers were paid by…
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Austin Roasters Coffee Tasting
This past Sunday, several Austin-based coffee roaster got together for a sample-fest over at Owl Tree Roasting. With a $5 donation to Urban Roots as part of Eat Local Week, I crammed myself into a packed old car garage and managed to try coffee from several different roasters and coffee shops: Little City, Third Coast…
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The Franklin Barbecue is tasty
I had the brisket, which was good: he gave me some slight fatty slices and a bonus end piece on account of me saying I liked the edge. They have three types of sauces: espresso , sweet, and "pork." The last two were pretty good and the espresso was fun. Their sides were actually pretty…
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Cheeze Whiz Lyrics – From the Archives
From long, long ago, I found this list of alternitive Police lyrics inspired by cheez whiz. From none other than Mr. John Arley Burns. Enjoy! CHEEZE WHIZ (roxanne): 1 Cheeze Whiz you don’t have to sit on the shelf tonight The holocaust is over, let’s eat our processed cheeze, alright! Cheeze Whiz you don’t have…
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Book Review: Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies
Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding Patterns of Project Behavior by Suzanne Robertson My rating: 3 of 5 stars As with most pattern books, this is one you flip through in an hour and then save it to refer back to. The strength of software management and development pattern books is describing problems that commonly…
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Austin Politicos, Urban Outdoors, Nagging – Austin’s Very Own #45
To listen to the episode, subscribe to the podcast feed in iTunes or whatever, download the episode directly, or click play below to listen right here: Click here for episode MP3 While Kim and I drive around to do some errands, we discuss: The Texas Freedom Network fund-raiser thingy, pictured above. Culture wars in Texas.…
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Westin Bonaventure, Sushi in LA
Westin Bonaventure, originally uploaded by cote. While at Adobe MAX this year, I stayed in this place, the “Bonaventure” as everyone calls it. It’s sort of a weirded out collection of five cylinder towers with a low-key hotel-mall inside. As a plaque next to an elevator noted, there was a scene in True Lies shot…
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It was somehow unfair
But the Saigon years would not be happy ones. After all those years learning control, discipline, making those the touchstones of his life, Max Taylor was now confronted by the wild irrationality, the deviousness, the maliciousness and venality of the South Vietnamese. It was somehow unfair; people who are about to be saved from the…
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