Paper Fish
mikepop's blog


Possible Merge Ahead; Things You May Have Missed
Hello, dear reader(s)! I have been quiet here lately, but noisy elsewhere. I've been chatting it up over at my blog on Vox. So if you are reading this in RSS land, here is the feed you should add to your reader:

http://mikepop.vox.com/library/posts/atom.xml

and for all you old-fashioned click-and-link browser types:

http://mikepop.vox.com/

Besides rambling on, I have even made a couple of things that may contain traces of amusement:

The Little Katamari Prince The seemingly-obvious (but I didn't see it anywhere else) Little Prince / Katamari Damacy mashup

And, the Web 2.0 / bike sticker mashup, that you can actually order and hold in your hands (or, stick to your bike/car):

bikr stickr

I forget what we used to call these things before "mashups", but obviously mashup is the more fun term, so it has taken over.

I'm considering making the Vox blog my main blog, and archiving this one. On the plus side, it is just easier to blog there - uploading and including pics, sounds, even books/movies/albums to reference in posts is trivial - so I blog there more often. I can also post from my cameraphone easily. There are privacy levels, so in case strangers ever start reading my blog I can hide embaressing pictures from them. There is a sense of community among all users, for now. I suspect this will fade as more people sign on. They have a "Question of the Day" feature that can kick-start your brain if you can't come up with anything to write about, and it prompts stories that might otherwise not be told (I don't think I would have thought to share the time I was mistaken for Andy Dick otherwise). On the minus side, I lose the complete control over the backend I have here. There will probably be ads displayed or something. And, I lose continuity, unless I can import all these old entries. But, a clean break now and then is a good thing.

So that's what I am pondering. Keep an eye on the other blog in the meantime while I continue experimenting.


Playing with Vox
I've been playing around/blogging a bit at Vox, kicking the tires and such. It has some fun features and tools built in. http://mikepop.vox.com/ if you care to check it out. I also have some "starter" invites if anyone wants one.


Back on the Bike
Back when I moved to California, I didn't have a car for a couple of weeks, or furniture for that matter. I had a rental car for two days after I arrived to start working, and I made two purchases: a futon and a bicycle. I had not been on a bicycle with any regularity since I was eleven or twelve or so. I tried to get riding again in high school but after a few rides and much frustration (this used to be easy! why is this not easy anymore?), the bike went into the basement and stayed there.

But with my new bike, a Marin Larkspur (1998 hybrid sort of bike), I biked to work almost everyday. Helpfully, I had geography on my side: my commute was just four miles, remarkably flat, and aside from some sporadic rain (and one day of light snow) the weather was very Californian*. I put a lot of mileage on the bike, riding it around Redwood City, Menlo Park and Palo Alto.

The bike saw a decline in use once we moved to San Francisco. It saw a further decline in use when we moved to Maine, but then a slight uptick as I took it out to the beach a few times. Once we moved to the Portland area, the bike once again ended up in the basement. I did take Zoe out for a few rides on Paula's bike, but they were short hops to the store, usually.

And I meant to get it out last summer. Last fall I got it out for one ride and determined it needed a tuneup. So, this spring that finally happened. Then it rained for a couple of weeks.

But as of a couple of weeks ago, I am back to commuting by bike at least some of the time. The route is a bit more challenging - 6 miles instead of 4, hills instead of flat, traffic instead of trees. But I have made it so far without being run off the road.

It cost $35 to get my bike tuned up, and I am on track to make that back in saved gas/bus fare in less than a month. It saves me fifteen minutes each morning compared to the bus ride, and only takes about ten minutes longer than the average car ride home. Plus, I get exercise and a bit more flexibility in my travel schedule.

I am tracking my miles at We Endure, a sort of social training log. I'm hoping to log a lot of miles before the snow sets in :)


Lobster Shack West
This article talks about a restaurant that brings a little of my current home (Maine) to my old home (Redwood City, CA):

New Englander Russell Deutsch, who spent 11 years exporting lobsters from Portland, Maine, opened Old Port Lobster Shack, on Veterans Boulevard near the courthouse, in January. It's decorated in a slightly kitschy, but mostly fun, seaside decor. A lighthouse with a rotating beam stands in the back corner, and diners eat from lacquered picnic benches next to fishing floats and maps of Maine's coast.

Hop off the train and grab a lobster roll, my bay area reader(s)!

T
The Fixer, Now on DVD
Working from an excellent premise suggested by Leonard, I wrote up some thoughts for a 5-season 24-esque series based around voting machine fraud. I await your phone call, FOX executive producer.

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My Notebook
Cool links and commentary

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If you switched to NewsBruiser from another blogging tool, you might be able to import your old entries.

If you haven't already, you should also configure your notebook. Be sure to set your contact information and choose a license.

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The Daily Zoe
keeping up with Zoe

() Jokes: Hi Zoe. I haven't written to you in such a long time, not since July! My goodness, that was the summer and now it is winter. I have some jokes you might think are funny. Here are two, 1. What has a head and foot but no arms? Give up ..... a bed! 2. Why couldn't the pirate play cards? Because he was sitting on the deck!. Get it?

() Getting ready for vacation: We are getting ready for our vacation in Maine. I am excited because I will get to spend time with you again. We can go shopping, maybe find some fairs, go fishing, go out to eat, shop some more, and what else can we do? Oh, I know, SWIMMING!! After all that we can celebrate birtdays for you and your papa. What do you think Grandpa and I should buy for your papa? What about for you? I know we are going to get a beach and bring it back to the cabins, but what else do you think you and papa would like? I also need something for mommy, even though her birthday is over. I have an idea about that. We'll see you soon. Love ya, love ya, love ya.

() Halloween: Hi Zoe. It is almost Thanksgiving, and I am still waiting for some Halloween pictures. I know you were a terrific superhero, but were you Wonder Woman or Super Girl? I need to see pictures. I also need to see how terrific you looked in your mermaid costume. Please ask Papa to put some pictures up. We'll see you soon, in time for Helen's Party. Love ya, Love ya, Love ya .............

() Jokes: Hi Zoe. I haven't sent you any jokes in a long time, so I am sending some today.

How do bees get to school?

A: On a School BUZZ

What does a Triceratops sit on?

A: Its Tricera-bottom

Q: What do sea monsters eat for lunch?

A: Fish and ships!

OK, that is enough for today. I hope they made you laugh. See you soon, love ya, love ya, love ya..........

(): You have the smartest papa in the world! He did such a terrific job putting up all those pictures on the web site. Now we can all see how nice you looked all dressed up for school, and see all the fun you had all spring and summer. The "firemen's foam" pictures are great! I never went swimming in foam, but it looks like you had a wonderful time. Does the foam feel wet like water? Is it cool? I'll see you soon. Love you, love you, love you!

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$ mv * Vacationland
my move to Maine

: THIS BLOG IS MOVING

Hello faithful reader(s). Just wanted to let you know that I am attempting to consolidate my blogging all in one place. So check in over at my new blog. I'll still ramble on about Maine and lobsters (in fact there will be a "Vacationland" category) and eventually all the old posts from here will be pulled over there into the archive.

There is also a new RSS feed, naturally, so for the RSS folks stop on over and grab it.

Thanks for reading!

:

protest

Some moblogging of a protest of GWB's Earth Day visit to Maine.

: Hey I am the ny area for a few days in case anyone is around :)

: Well, SXSW was a lot of fun. I wrote up a full report

: Headed for Texas

I'll be in Texas tomorrow through Monday speaking at SXSW. Drop me an email or IM my phone (AIM/iChat:drjellyfish) if you want to meet up.

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© 2004-2006 mikepop.