The Life of Matt Sawyers

Catching Up

2009-10-16T01:59:00.000-05:00

Once again it has been awhile since I have posted something here, but it seems every few years I turn over a new leaf in my life and thus I create a new blog. In the past year I created a new blog called: The iPhone App Blog (www.TheiPhoneAppBlog.com) and most recently, in lieu of me graduating from college and my struggle to find a job in the production industry I have created a blog called "PA 2 DP"which will encompass my journey as a Production Assistant (PA) into becoming a Director of Photography (DP).

I realize I don't update this blog much, but I soon will. A majority of things I will post on this blog will more than likely refer to other things I have written on other website/blogs or be technological articles of random interest.

DailyBurn CEO Challenge - Week 2

2009-08-30T12:41:00.000-05:00

So I started the DailyBurn Fitness Challenge a day late, didn't upload a video, O'well, so I guess I am not truly "entered", but it's not stopping me from eating healthier. I have been keeping my portions small, eating frequently and following the food pyramid as closely as possible.

In the past week, I traveled out of town and got a little off track (2 Wendy's Jr. Burgers & a small french fry... & then felt yucky). But I definitely saw a decrease in the amount of food I could consume in a sitting (which shows progress on my end).

So come this Tuesday, it's my weigh-in day. I lost 4lbs the first week, hopefully I'll be down another 1lb...at least.

I haven't been exercising, so that is one issue I am facing now. I need to find a gym...

Howl's Moving Castle: Progress Report

2009-08-06T23:25:00.000-05:00

Face nearly complete:

Still working on Howl's Moving Castle papercraft project. It's taking a whole lot more time than I thought it would. But I know it's going to look awesome! I'll be posting more progress photos in the next few days.

-- Posted From My iPhone

Uploaded More Photos from Rome Trip!

2009-07-23T17:34:00.001-05:00

I Got a New iPhone 3G S!

2009-06-21T19:43:00.001-05:00

Just as the title says, I got on! Really really like it! It is so much better than my previous one, which was the original 2G/ 4GB iPhone. My favirite features so far:

1. Focusing Camera
2. Video Camera
3. Faster CPU

I realize I have not been keeping up with this blog much and I am sorry if you have actually been keeping up with it. As I've said before, I am always on Twitter & I invite you to follow me there:

Http://www.Twitter.com/msproductions

I have a bunch of great info I would like to write about, but I just don't have a lot of time to do it, hence Twitter - neww about me- little-by-little.

-- Posted From My iPhone

Chat with a Sales Rep to Recieve 20% Off - FAIL

2009-06-04T14:40:00.001-05:00

I was looking for a web hoster ans when I attempted to check their payment plane, I was attacked with a pop-up asking me to login or to register, so I just packed out. Then I was again hit with "are you sure you want to leave? and then was given the opportunity to chat with a "sales assistant" and recieve 20% off any year payment plan. Here's the chat log:

Connecting to Agent...
You have been connected to Amber
Amber Says:Hey Wait! We would hate to see you go without seeing what's made us an Award Winning Host. So just this once we would like to offer you a special 20% discount. To take advantage of this one-time offer just CLICK HERE
Amber Says:When you are ready just say 'Hi' and we can get started....
You:Hi. I mainly want to see the payment plans without having to create an account
Amber Says:It's 20% off your order for ANY hosting plan with 1 or 2 year billing period! CLICK HERE
You:is there a montly pay plan for the Basic package?
Amber Says:Sorry i didn't quite understand your question, can you rephrase it please..?
You:for the Basic plan, is there a monlthy payment plan?
Amber Says:We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and discover card.
Amber Says:So if you want to sign up with the 20% Discount offer, just CLICK HERE
You:that's not what I am asking
Amber Says:You can only receive this huge discount through me today, if you wish to claim your 20% Discount, simply CLICK HERE.
You:this is an automated "help" chat, no?
Amber Says:Remember this 20% Discount is only available today through this chat... We give you a 30-day money back guarantee too, so if you are not happy with our service for any reason, we will happily give you a full refund.
Amber Says:So this is risk-free hosting, with award winning hosts and for a hugely discounted price! So what have you got to lose? Just CLICK HERE to receive your Discount!
You:seriously? great! But you still haven't answered my question
Amber Says:I will do my very best to assist you with any query you might have.
You:is there a monthly payment plan?
Amber Says:We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and discover card.
Amber Says:So if you want to sign up with the 20% Discount offer, just CLICK HERE
You:I don't want the DAMN 20% off, just answer the frigging question!
Amber Says:Sorry, what was your question again?
You:You're an idiot
Amber Says:OK, I'm going now. If you change your mind CLICK HERE

To say the least I was just straight-out annoyed. I rank customer service pretty high in business, this wasn't a good choice in my opinion. I am not wasting my time trying to fight thier website. iX Web Hosting - not recommended.

Twitter

2009-04-07T20:48:00.000-05:00

For those of you that like to be updated on what I am doing in life, I use Twitter all the time. So I encourage you to take a look t my Twitter page: http://twitter.com/msproductions

You might also have noticed that I've put a Twitter feed on the right side of my blog>>>
it diaplays the last 5 posts.

For those of you that don't know what Twitter is, it's like mini-blogging or like updating your Facebook status. I've used it a couple of times to post tech questions and have received advice on how to fix them in less time than I've spent on hold with tech support. I suggest getting an account if you don't already have one. After all, even my mom has one... ( http://twitter.com/maryannsawyers ).

-- Posted From My iPhone

Film & Direction : Static Camera Project

2009-02-21T01:49:00.000-06:00

For my film & video direction class we had to shoot a one-shot, static-camera short video. Here is my project:

Mobile Version

I relied heavily on audio for this project so if you have headphones or stereo speakers, you're going to want to use them.

My next project will be a Silent Short Film and it's going to be interesting and one of the most challenging projects that I will have to do this semester, since I love the use of audio and sound effects.

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2008-12-16T11:16:00.000-06:00

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2008-12-16T10:48:00.000-06:00

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Class of '09 leaves with win

2008-11-18T23:53:00.000-06:00

Baylor University || The Lariat Online || News

Class of '09 leaves with win

Nov. 18, 2008

By Kyle McKanna
Reporter
Picture by Shanna Taylor- Lariat Staff

Saturday's Senior Day couldn't have been much more successful for the Baylor Bears, who walloped their Brazos River rival Texas A&M University 41-21. The importance of the victory was not overlooked by the 21 seniors who suited up for the game.

"When you come back here 20 years from now with your wife and kids, you're going to be like 'hey, we won our last game here against Texas A&M," senior offensive lineman Jason Smith said.

With the win, Baylor proved that they are a program heading in the right direction. Their 269 rushing yards were their most ever in a Big 12 game, and 510 total yards showed the Bears can attack through the air as well.

Head coach Art Briles attributes much of his team's success to the leadership of his seniors.

"I think I can honestly say not one of them has been late, missed any practices or any meeting since last December 1st," Briles said. "To me that is a great sign of want-to, a great sign of hope, a great sign of leadership."

Seniors accounted for three of Baylor's five touchdowns on Saturday. Jacoby Jones had two rushing touchdowns and Robert Griffin hooked up with wide receiver Thomas White for a 55-yard score early in the third quarter.

The recent success is bittersweet for the seniors, who have been waiting for the team to reach its potential since they arrived at Baylor.

"I think I speak for a lot of the seniors that I think we'd all love to have another four years," White said. "Especially with the direction of the program right now."

The Bears, who led 41-7 at one point in the game, played perhaps their best defensive game of the season.

"We had a swarming defense just like we have practiced and preached," senior cornerback Dwain Crawford said.

Crawford intercepted a pass in his final home game for the Bears, who won the turnover battle against the Aggies 5-0.

After the game, the seniors gathered together at the 50-yard line to take in all they had done, not only in the last 60 minutes, but the last 60 months.

"With the class we sacrificed a lot of things; we sacrificed our lives for five years. We forgot who we are and we've become something else," Smith said. "And at the end, we kissed it. We kissed that 50-yard line. Because this is our field; we love this place, and that's what we wanted our last moment to be, was kissing that 50-yard line."

Baylor will face one more Big 12 team Nov. 29, when the Bears will travel to Lubbock to compete against the No. 2 Texas Tech University Red Raiders, led by Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree.

Briefly: Joe Pawelek had two interceptions during the game, marking the first time the Smithson Valley product has accomplished more than one interception in a game. He leads all FBS middle linebackers in interceptions.

For his performance, Pawelek was named the Big 12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Week: the second player this year to receive a Big 12 Player of the Week award. Robert Griffin was selected after his Washington State performance.

I can finally brag to my A&M friends about how we beat them in football. My first year at Baylor (I transfered in as a Junior) I wen to every single football game. My second year I went to only one, which me lost... And this year I went to only one, the game against A&M and I am sure glad I did, because we beat the crap outta them :)

O...

2008-11-06T03:19:00.001-06:00

Just that...

I've Become A Regular Reviewer for TiPb (The iPhone Blog) Forums

2008-10-21T02:18:00.001-05:00

Hey guys just to let you know, I have been reviewing apps for the iPhone over at TiPb. Every other day I put out a review about iPhone applications. If there is a review you would like to see for ANY application, post it in the forums (link below), or post a comment to me here.

Introducing: TiPb's iPhone Forum Reviewers! - The iPhone Blog Forums

Rene Ritchie's Avatar
Rene Ritchie Rene Ritchie is offline
Editor, theiphoneblog.com

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 297
Rene Ritchie is on a distinguished road
Default Introducing: TiPb's iPhone Forum Reviewers!
The Lightning Reviews are dead! Long live the TiPb iPhone Forum Reviews!

Two of our best and most prolific Lightning Reviewers, cjvitek and msbaylor are our first two regular reviewers. They'll be looking at the latest, greatest App Store releases, the classics and old favorites, and some hidden gems.

Have an App you're dying to see reviewed? Drop them a note, and they may just do you a solid! Or just sit back, relax, and watch as they review Apps.
__________________
Rene
http://www.twitter.com/reneritchie

Back from Argentina

2008-08-13T12:03:00.000-05:00

Well I have made it back in one piece from Argentina, I will be continuing to post periodic post to the Argentina blog, but most of my blogs will be posted here if the do not regard Argentina. I am working on a photography book of my trip as well as a travel book of my adventures. There is a contest for travel books which ends on Sept. 7th 2008, so I will have it done before then.

Also after my parents saw my pictures from Argentina, my mom said "Well Dad & I were planning to go Italy next summer, but after seeing those pictures, maybe we should go to Argentina..." Dad is excited about going there, so I figure they'll save money if they take me as their tour guide & since i know survival Spanish, that would greatly help them (they don't know Italian anyway...and neither do I...)

The Life of Matt Sawyers: Argentina

2008-06-04T19:27:00.001-05:00

I have not posted here in quite some time, due to the fact that I am currently in Argentina. I have created a separate blog for my travesties here in Argentina. It can be found here: http://argentina.msbaylor.com

I got an iPhone

2008-04-05T02:34:00.001-05:00

I got an iPhone...24 hour reflection:
1. like having e-mail at my fingertips
2. Internet is cool
3. Works great as a phone
3. Not having flash in internet is NOT cool
4. I don't like the touchscreen keyboard
5. Adding contacts is too tedious

Need a task done on your computer?

2008-03-23T21:04:00.001-05:00

Do you have a problem or a task that you need done on your computer, but you don't know what software program(s_ to use or what is the best software or free software etc. I have done extensive research of free software & what they are used for as well as other costly software,
So for example, if you are wondering what is the best word processor for replacement of Microsoft Word, then I would say IBM's Lotus Symphony for PC & for the Mac - NeoOffice.

Drop me a comment, and I'll give you my advice.

I've take Over 10,000 photos

2008-03-20T19:01:00.001-05:00

Actually I've taken 10,005 as of right now. (10,000the below)

Photo Info

Dimensions3872 x 2592

Original file size2.87 MB

Image typeJPEG

Color spacesRGB

Date taken14-Mar-08 18:21

Date modified14-Mar-08 18:21

Shooting Conditions

Focal length200 mm

Focal length (35mm)300 mm

Max lens aperturef/5.7

Exposure1/40 at f/5.6

FlashNot fired

Exposure bias0 EV

Exposure modeManual

Exposure prog.Manual

ISO speedISO 100

Metering modePattern

Digital zoom1x
Filters
Circular Polarizer

2009 Disney Half-Marathon Nearly Full - I'm in!

2008-03-03T22:03:00.001-06:00

The Diney Half-Marathon for 2009 is nearly full (93% full).

Head over there to register your spot!

Goofy Challenge is Closed & the full Marathon is still open as I know it.

Iam registered and ready to go, well sort of, I plan to beat my time by more than 30 minutes by then!

Done! - 2008 ATT Austin Marathon

2008-02-18T10:09:00.005-06:00

I finished it! And I beat my previous time by 4 minutes! :) Now I have to find another half-marathon to do. I know of the Bear-a-thon that Baylor University in Waco puts on in March, but so far I have done 2 half-marathons in 1 months, I am not sure I can handle 3 in 2 months. Also the Waco course seems a lot harder than the Austin half. And I had quite a bit of trouble after the 9 mile marker. I'll never look at those hills the same again :P
Completion of the half had to be done within 4 hours. My time was 3:46:28.
My goal was to be done in 3:30:00, and I thought I was going to make it until about mile 9, when all the large hills came into play. I trained for an 18 - minute mile and ended up being ahead (according to the Forerunner 305) by 0.54 of a mile. My average min/mile was 15:34 up till mile 7, then it decresed (incresed?) to 16:44 min/mile. Then it changed again to 18:03 after mile 11.
So my average time was a 17:18 min/mile...I think I'll have to check later for sure. I'll write more detail about yesterday when I have a bit more time.

Mapping & Analyzing My Runs

2008-02-15T23:34:00.001-06:00

Along with using MapMyRun.com I am also using bimActive.com I am having trouble finding a website that will track my info as well as map my runs. But until that time, I am having to use both websites. Actually bimActive will allow me to map my runs, but for a monthly fee, sorry not helpful for me.

So, here is what bimActice Activity profiles look like - I upload the data straight from the forerunner 305, and it parses the info. This was from a run I did earlier today. I also really like how is shows the weather and what no, as the Garmin program doesn't do that. Also the program doesn't have accurate maps either, so this is a bit better. I like the graphs better in the program though as you can rearrange the data and and make the graph larger if need be.
Okay here it is: (2 pictures, since the web page is longer than my screen):

NOTE: On the graph you see it drop way down & on the splits chart you see a really high pace number, this is because I accidentally created another lap & forgot to delete the info before I uploaded it.

(Click on images to enlarge)

And here is a picture of the Garmin program of the same run:
The Map Screen:
(Click on image to enlarge)

The top right pane also has my totals:
(click on picture to enlarge)

And then here is the course screen (I imported the course in from MapMyRun.com):
(Click on Image to Enlarge)

ATT Austin Half-Marathon in 2 DAYS!!!

2008-02-15T16:16:00.001-06:00

I didn't get to run yesterday because I went to take a nap, and didn't wake up till this morning. I woke up late and had to run across campus to turn in a resume for an internship and she said to me as I handed it to her, "Every resume I receive after this is late & doesn't count." I thanked her and left. After getting back, my ankle started to hurt so I iced it. Hopefully with a bit of stretching I can do a short run in just a bit.
I've been using MapMyRun.com to map my runs and then I can export it to my Forerunner 305. Here's a map of the Austin Half that I mapped:

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/tx/austin/1136353462"&amp;gt;ATT Austin Half-Marathon 2008&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/tx/austin"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Austin, Texas&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

3 Days Till

2008-02-14T02:32:00.001-06:00

3 Days Till the Austin Marathon & Half...
*sigh* it's gonna be cold...for me that is. I don't have any pants to wear. due to the large nature of my hips, I have been unable to find any running pants that fit me. Although, I had a sudden revelation yesterday. This past summer when I went to Alaska, I bought Hot Chillys, so I began to think maybe I could wear the top under my shirt (also long sleeve - DriFit). I tried it today and it worked well, I am only afraid that it may make me too warm as the day continues. I may look like a fool tomorrow, but I am gonna try wearing the pants under my shorts when I run tomorrow... hopefully now one will see me lol

Sunday in Austin is supposed to be in the mid forties to the fiftie, but starting about 7am wind up to 25mph are supposed to start, so maybe I won't be too warm...

1 Week to the Austin Half-Marathon

2008-02-12T02:38:00.001-06:00

http://www.halhigdon.com/

There is less than 1 week for the half-marathon.
I can't believe I am doing this again... I can't say I love running day-to-day-training for the "Halves," but it's so much fun when you are actually doing it, then the amazing feeling that you just ran further than most of your friends have ever done in 3.5 hours (or whatever the time limit it.) That is if, most of your friends aren't running next to you, then that's altogether another feeling.

People have asked me what my motivation was, especially when I did the Disney half (and a bit of a reflection on it)- I thought back to my years in High School, when I had a coach tell me that, "Instead of playing baseball, I'd be do better in front of the television." He said that after some of my teammates saw me walking laps around the school (I wasn't even close to physically fit.) That's what really kept me going. I knew at the beginning that if I made it to 6 miles I would be content. But after passing the exit gates at Epcot (6 mile marker), I realized I could really do this whole thing. It was one of the hardest thing I have ever (physically) had to do, but so say the least, I am proud of my medal that I got that weekend and will jabber to anyone that asks about it.

At some point in the short future, I will elaborate on that through my mind during that race.

How's Your Hearing? - Website of the day

2008-02-09T01:44:00.003-06:00

I have heard high pitched sounds that are annoying & I'll turn to my Dad and ask him if he knows what that sound is, he'll turn to me with a question-looked face...he can't hear it.

So I wanted to see what was the highest frequency I could hear. So I strapped on some iPod(r) headphones and went to testing...now I wasn't in a completely silent environment (AC & fridge near me). but these were th results:

You are about 20 years old

The teen repellent will no longer foil you, but you can still hear some pretty high tones.

The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 16.7kHz

Find out which ringtones you can hear!

I realized...no more loud music for me...16.7KHz crap, that sucks. I thought I could hear 17.7KHz, but I think I was imagining it. So try out your hearing...maybe you won't listen to your music so loud anymore.

On the website, if you have an MP3 enabled phone that you can load ring tones onto, you can use the sounds as your ring tones.

Human sound ranges from 20Hz - 20KHz (20,000Hz) Some people can hear further...
The iPod(r) headphones have a frequency response of 20Hz - 20KHz (20,000Hz)

Website Updates

2008-02-02T18:34:00.001-06:00

I have made some major updates to my website for this year. One of the major highlights of the website is the Project Page: "Smart" Kitchen Computer. I am keeping a "blog" of how I am creating this PV and what I want it to do. I will eventually post a tutorial on how and what I did.

Cool Website: Top Secret Recipes

2008-02-02T18:29:00.001-06:00

Looks like a pretty cool website. Top Secret Recipes website offers "clones of America's favorite brand-name foods."
Who are they? (taken from their website):

"If you’ve ever tried to make a brand-name clone recipe gathered
elsewhere on the Web, you’ve likely had that sinking feeling that comes
from wasting time and ingredients. That’s because every other site on
the 'Net simply gathers clone recipes indiscriminately (they like to
call 'em "copycat recipes") from various unqualified sources without
any quality-control. Rarely is anyone testing the recipes or
researching the products; and they just pass the garbage off on you. [...]

If you want the best, most trusted clone recipes on the Web since 1996,
you’ve come to the right place. And we’re glad that you can join us."

Most of the recipes cost $0.79 each, but there are some that are free like - Applebee's® Oriental Chicken Salad or KFC® Potato Salad or even Wendy's Chili.

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but this website is defiantly marked. Also if you are unsure about a certain recipe there are users that have rated & commented on most of the recipes.

Top Secret Recipes

Food Inventory & Barcode Scanning Software

2008-01-26T19:34:00.001-06:00

I am desperately looking for a software program that will allow me to scan items via a barcode scanner and let me keep a running inventory of what I have in my pantry as well as allowing me to scan the items that I throw out, so that I will have a list to print when I to to the grocery.

I'd also REALLY (really the most important) want it to have the ability to search it's database of recipes (also allows me to input my own) knowing what I have in my pantry and showing the recipes I could make.

I have a recipe program called BigOven that has many of these features, except for the barcode scanning part. It allows me to select the items I have and then finds recipes I could make with it.

So far I have found a few programs (links aren't included because I haven't tried them yet)
1. GroceryIP - looks promising, but it was released in 2003 and it doesn't look like the original company still exists - $30 - $35
2. Now You're Cooking - I don't think it has a barcode lookup - website is a bit weird...makes me wonder - $25
3. Diet Pro - also looks promising & is the most expensive ~$65

Baylor Bear v. ATM Aggies - Longest Big 12 Game In History

2008-01-23T22:51:00.001-06:00

The Baylor Bears went into a 5th overtime tonight to win against the Aggies 116 - 110.
Sick' em Bears!

ATT Austin Half-Marathon

2008-01-21T23:48:00.001-06:00

I am doing it.

I have a larger time limit - 4 hours, but there are a lot of hills, so I think it's time for me to start jogging through Cameron Park, in order to get some "hillage."

Free Law Library

2008-01-21T21:38:00.001-06:00

Okay so today I was looking online for a contract example for royalty usage. So I found www.Free-Lax-Library.us On their website it says:
"

Sign up for FREE access to a comprehensive

collection of links to thousands of Legal Forms.

Our site is 100% free.

How
to get your Free Legal Forms

Simply take our sponsors' surveys with opportunities to receive
coupons and savings on products and services! You will also receive
special offers by email. No purchase is necessary to reach our
Members' Area."

Okay so obviously it one of those survey things that you do, but it says:
"
We purchased distribution rights to our downloadable Legal Forms, or acquired them from the
public domain. We also have a process to address any copyright issues that may arise.
Please see our Terms and Conditions for the details of our DMCA (copyright) compliance program.

Nothing on our website or any of the websites, resources, or
databases we link to should be construed as legal advice. For legal
advice and specific or personalized forms you must consult your
attorney. Free-Law-Library.us is not a law firm and this website is not
a lawyer referral service.

Our goal is to provide a free registration process, but we do not control the content
or practices of our sponsors. Therefore, if you see anything in our registration
process that seems to require a purchase or any financial transaction, please let
us know about it so we can take appropriate action. Thank you!"

Okay basic disclaimer & I like the "if you see anything in our registration
process that seems to require a purchase or any financial transaction, please let
us know about it so we can take appropriate action. Thank you!"

Looks good right? It asks for my e-mail & I must 'check' a check-box to agree with their TOS &Private Policy.
I tend to be one of those people that will read ALL the fine print, so this is what I found:

Terms of Service (TOS)

1. "Use Of The Site
You are granted a non-exclusive,
non-transferable, revocable license (a) to access and use the Site
strictly in accordance with this Agreement; (b) to use the Site solely
for informational, personal, non-commercial, educational or
entertainment purposes; and (c) to print out discrete information from
the Site solely for such purposes and provided that you maintain all
copyright and other proprietary notices contained therein."

Wait what?!? "entertainment purposes" I think for the next 2 months I will read contracts for the fun of it.... ;P

2. "Restrictions On Use

Your license for access
and use of the Site and any information, materials or documents
(collectively, "Content") found on the Site are subject to the
following restrictions and prohibitions on use:

(i)
you may not copy, print (except for the express limited purpose
permitted by the section entitled "Use of the Site" above), republish,
display, distribute, transmit, sell, rent, lease, loan or otherwise
make available in any form or by any means all or any portion of the
Site or any Content retrieved from it;

(b) you may
not use the Site or any materials obtained from the Site to develop, of
as a component of, any information, storage and retrieval system,
database, information base, website, or similar resource (in any media
now existing or hereafter developed), that is offered for commercial
distribution of any kind, including through sale, license, lease,
rental, subscription, or any other commercial distribution mechanism;

(Re: Bolded words) If you using educational purposes, most likely you will be using it in a paper or of the sort... I can't imagine not going to this site for any other reason to use these contracts as a basis to create other works, & they say you can't do that. Well needless to say, I decided not to check the box.

Have fun reading for entertainment purposes...

I DID IT!

2008-01-15T16:09:00.001-06:00

I ran the whole- 1/2 marathon in just under 3 & 1/2 hrs. (3 hrs & 27 minutes). In my opinion, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. But I feel great to have done it & very proud of the medal that now hangs from my wall.

I have had a few laughs the past couple of days when people look at me then read my shirt in shock & ask "You ran a 1/2 marathon?!?" I reply "yep, and it was amazing!" I am by no means an "ideal-looking-runner" & I think people expect that when they hear of people running/walking a 1/2 or full marathon they expect elite-looking runners. I must say I did to until I did it. There were people of all ages, from 18 to 78! There was a girl there that I was greatly surprised to see there, this girl was quite large but to see her jog the whole thing - wow, that's all I can say. Not every one in the half made it that started, but a lot finished (I think as I didn't see many buses of people pass us, a few, but not too many). The amount of people running was enormous. There were somewhere between 30,000 - 33,000 runners for this race alone!

Can't wait to do it next year!

I will post a few pictures of the race later.

RIP Sony VAIO PC

2007-12-31T18:18:00.001-06:00

My PC died just after Thanksgiving, but I wasn't sure if it was a goner, but I found out today that the Motherboard is shot and most likely the processor. So now I am going to have to build a PC, as the parts and "innards" are nearly 3&1/2 years old, but the Hard drive is still okay. So I can still use that at least...

I have a G5 Mac, so I am still able to do my video work without a problem, it's just taking time to get used to it. I am working with Final Cut Pro (FCP) & DVD Studio Pro. I am not as familiar with DVD SP, so I am learning as I go, I just authored my first DVD on it yesterday - my sister's wedding DVD.

The main thing I miss though are some of the programs I had on the PC like Autostitch, which is an amazing 2D image stitcher for creating panoramic views (I've been stitching my Alaska views together, click here to see one :D). Click here to see an example. This program is amazing and it portable too (meaning you can run it of a thumb-drive or iPod or whatever [at least I have]). It is also a good program if you have multiple exposures in the group of pictures, it will make the picture look "equal" instead of having multiple color changes. (you generally should have the same exposure on the pictures when you are taking a panorama that you plan on stitching together later, but some don't know how to do it or just don't do it). Unfortunately it does not work on the Mac, although there is another commercial product that uses the same technology called Autopano Pro (download demo here), but it costs money ($145) to remove the watermark from the picture. If you do download the program (Autostitch) (recommended, it's a fairly small file), it says it's a demo, but it's not...really. You can use it's full features, as long as you are not using it for commercial use. I guess this is turning into a review of programs now...

I was still testing Autopano Pro for its work flow and most importantly the way it stitches pictures together, the one thing I did like about the program (so far) is that it has batch panoramic stitching. I have Mac OS X 10.3.9 and currently unable to find 10.4.x, so I cannot test the software on the Mac at this time, but take a look at it & let me know what you think.

A List:
I also miss Jasc Paint Shop Pro (now Corel Paint Shop Pro) & it amazing ability to straighten
photos (it's one thing I can't figure out how to do in Adobe Photoshop
on the Mac).

Alcohol 120% - no Mac version

Nexuiz - a free open-source FPS that is multi-platform (I just don't have a high enough OSX)

DVD Case designing software (can't think of the name)

Adobe Pagemaker - publication designing software - yes, I know it works on the Mac, but I haven't been able to find the discs since I've moved :(

Big Oven - Awesome recipe database - no Mac version

The Text reading software for my scanner - no Mac version...I think

*sign* - this is depressing - I need to go edit a video now...on the Mac...

Dragon Naturally Speaking - voice transcription software (speech to text) - I think there is an upgrade to a Mac version (ViaVoice), but frankly I am not sure I want to pay anything more, I just upgraded the PC version :(

RCA inputs on PC (not a program)

TV Tuner on my PC & GigaPocket - TV turner & recording software.

Sonic Foundry Vegas Video Studio (Older Version...very old...it gets the job done well though) - Video Editing, now called Sony Vegas Pro...figures...

Some other photo, digital scrapbook & DVD authoring programs & utilities that came with my PC

XM Radio Receiver vs XM Radio for PC

2007-12-08T22:43:00.001-06:00

First a quick discussion about something I came up against.

I have the Pioneer AirWare portable XM receiver (looks like an overly large cell phone).

I thought about upgrading today when I saw the special on www.Woot.com for the newer version of the portable reciever by Pioneer the Inno1, much smaller, in color & better antenna...

BUT, it didn't come with a car kit (which is an additional $40 through www.MyRadioStore.com, which had I known that this morning, I might have bought it; I could only find the kit for $60.) The car kit is the ONLY way to enable the FM modulator, which is what I need since I have a CD player in my car & not a cassette deck. So I found something cheaper (not as convenient, but still cheaper) for less than $43, I found an external clip-on antenna for my AirWare and bought an armband for it as well. (It actually cost less than $30, but I 2nd day air-ed it :P) As I have mentioned before I am running in a half-marathon at the begging of next year, & I'd like to my XM radio along for the ride.

So back to the oginal topic of the PC version vs regular version - with my subscription (or anyones) you pay monthly to receive reception for you radio ($5-$13 or possibly cheaper with promo code). Also you have the ability to use the online player and play the music through their online player. So I am wonder why anyone would pay $65 for the PC kit, when you can buy a portable radio for less (or free) and still use the internet online player for the PC (it's what I do, since I don't get reception from where the only window in my apt. is.) I presume for people that have slow internet connection you might do this, but I'd save the money from the subscription & go with fater internet service & stream free internet radio through WMP or iTunes.

Gingerbread demolition

2007-12-07T04:23:00.001-06:00

At aprox 4:22am this morning the Gingerbread house I made sponaneously collapsed, all that stands is the front & right wall...

bummer

2007-12-05T04:14:00.001-06:00

I knew it would blow up in my face....basically I really don't want to discuss it but...it sucks...plain & simple...

3:22pm

2007-12-04T15:24:00.001-06:00

3 & 1/2 hours left....it's not going to look like the model, put only certain parts of it. The back part on the main building will probably not make it in. For sure it will be the front part of the main building with a few towers :) and I am hoping I will have tome to create the gate-house & walls. :P

Gingerbread Castle Update

2007-12-03T23:09:00.001-06:00

So I somewhat completed the paper castle last not abou 2am here are some pictures detailing what I hope to do.

front angled side. There are actually going to be 4 towers instead of 3 (it was late & I realized what I was doing - notice the building to the left without a roof...) the red rectangles around the little building on the left shows where I am going to extend the building that far. The red-circles are where there are going to be guard towers and the red-lines are going to be walls. Here are a few more pictures from different angles.

from the left-front angle

and from the backside

So that's it for now, until next time...

Gengerbread House

2007-12-02T22:26:00.001-06:00

Tuesday I have a Christmas party that I am attending and there is a Gingerbread House Contest that I have entered. I didn't want to make a regular 'Ol Gingerbread house, but something "cooler." So why not a castle... I hope I have made the right decision. This started as a simple project, and keeps getting more & more complex, I hope it turns out all right.... My original inspiration came from the this picture:

Which is a stinkin' sweet playhouse... (click on the picture for the web link).

So I was going to do a near replica of this , but not include a back, so that it would show the decorations of the inside, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time on the inside, so then I discovered a picture of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany & it won me over:

(Click on the picture to enlarge it, it's pretty big)

Yea I know that is a lot of work, but I am better at construction than at designing figurines, well stick figures I can do, but let's face it, I don't think that would work...

So I sit here, with all of sorts of pictures of this castle taken from all different angles, analyzing it and cutting it down to "model" size, then I found this link to create a paper model of it.

I am going to print this out & build it tonight, then use the measurements I've made and compare them to this paper model and figure up final measurements. I am mainly going for the larger part of the back of the castle & if I succeed at that & I have time, I will continue with the rest of it. If I fail & still have time, then I will go back to my original design of the playhouse idea.

Well here we go...

WALT DISNEY WORLD® Half Marathon

2007-11-13T01:03:00.001-06:00

Today, well yesterday I suppose, makes the 2-month point for me until the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Half Marathon. I am quite nervous right now as I have run into a few problems, but it makes me exceedingly happy to see the map. The run will be quite entertaining, except from marker 8 to marker 11 (3 miles). I did not realize that we would be actually running THROUGH the parks.
Back to me about training, I am having one of my friends help me train, as he has done running all his life, so he if helping me get to where I need. The "Start to Finish Challenge" continues...

Full Size image can be found here

This image can be found here.

Sleepy + Bread Machine = No Sleep

2007-10-25T03:23:00.001-05:00

I can't sleep & I need sleep. I began using my bread machine today (actually yesterday) thinking I could wake up to fresh bread...nope....the smell has kept me up...so I have been reviewing for my test tomorrow...I hope I do good on it....oh goodNie it's done, time to take a slice of it & go to bed...

2007-10-17T01:48:00.000-05:00

TEAM OF 5 BAYLOR STUDENTS ENTER FILM FESTIVAL!!!

2007-10-12T01:56:00.001-05:00

Dear Ladies & Gents of The Internet,

I am 1 of 5 Baylor Students that will be making a short video in the next couple of days, With your help our video will be seen and judged by: Fred Armisen, Nora Ephron, Terry George, Mary Harron, James Mangold, Mira Nair, Jim Sheridan, Barry Sonnenfeld, Luis Valdez.

How can you help?

Firstly once we are done, we will want YOU to vote for our video (the top 25 videos will be judged).

Secondly we need ACTORS. If you are in the Waco area and you would like to participate, contact my team members (listed below) or myself.

Thirdly we need original music from artists (like yourself?), so if you are an artist and have made some music let us know. We would like to screen it and possibly use it in our video. So if you want to “get you music out there” so hundreds (possibly thousands) of people as well as these popular judges will hear YOUR MUSIC. We prefer that it be instrumental, but at this time anything would be greatly appreciated.

We Will Be Putting Everything Together By Oct 14th (This Sunday) So We Need To Know Quick If You Would Like To Help Us Out.

Please pass this along to anyone you know that might enjoy in participating with us.

Thanks For Reading!

~Matt Sawyers
Jerry Gonzalez
Andrew Bryan
Nick Detisch
Aj Detisch

The Kingdom

2007-10-02T00:23:00.001-05:00

I have finished (the beginning) of my new photo website which can be found here (the photos correlate with my website. To see the other photos go here). It is password protected, so if you would like the password , e-mail me or it will be in my next newsletter, which will be out in about 1&1/2 weeks. (If you aren't on the e-mailing list, let me know & I'll add you to it)

I am crazy excited about this website. It is hosted by Zenfolio, I pay $35.00/year (normally $40, but I had a referral code) for unlimited hosting. If you use my referral number: MKK-EJZ-GXP , you get $5 off your subscription & I also receive $5. Let me know what you think of the site!

Thinking....

2007-10-01T03:44:00.001-05:00

I went home this weekend....took some cool pictures....thinking about posting them here....thinking about changing the theme of my blog...thinking I should be in bed right about now.

"The Kingdom" Movie

2007-09-22T17:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening I saw an advanced screening of "The Kingdom" which shows in theaters on the 28th of this month (September). It's a good movie. I have trouble enjoying movies because I am constantly analyzing the movie (I guess that's what I get for being a Digital Film & Media major). I would place this into the thriller/drama/action genre, in that order. It was pretty gripping to watch everything that occurred in the movie.

A basic synopsis: 4 FBI agents ( Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman) are sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist bombing, upon arriving, they become the next targets for the lead terrorist organization they are after.

We also had a Baylor university professor (Dr. James Kendrick) speak with us on "violence in media" after the movie. He asked the question whether the movie was an anti-war movie or an action movie...I thought...neither. It definitely had action, but the action did not correlate with the conveyed emotion that the film conveyed.

My emotion was: "I don't think I ever want to go to Saudi Arabia." Why? well I guess you'll just have to see the movie to know why.

Great cinematography in the motion picture, this is a movie I definitely will be going to see again.

Overall I think it was a great movie (4/5). My ranking is based it on the emotion it expresses, & how strongly it does it; the acting, and the overall plot.

Anywhere.FM

2007-09-20T18:13:00.001-05:00

I just came across this really cool site recently. It's called Anywhere FM - http://Anywhere.FM
It's you music anywhere you go, which an internet connection that is, and these days, the internet is everywhere.
(To get the gist of this blog, skip down to Resolution)

First my spiel: I was trying to figure out how todo something like this to begin with. My idea was posting my song (up to 1GB) on BearSpace (which is my University's student web server) and then creating a streaming playlist in iTunes and carry the playlist around with me and just load it on any computer running iTunes. The problem came when the computer didn't have iTunes.

Resolution: Anywhere FM
You can upload your WHOLE library to their server. And wherever you are, you just go to the site and enter you login info and there's all your music, It's very easy. When you register it only asks a few questions and then you are ready to go. You can also download an uploader app that uploads your playlists and your songs from iTunes. (or yoou can manually do it from internet window itself.
Works on Mac OS and I presume Windows as well (it auto detects your operating system). It does not upload your iTunes purchases though, bummer (because iTunes has a special alogorithm to decode the purchased songs) you can always get around that, though....

Cirque Du Soleil: Mindfreak

2007-09-19T02:59:00.001-05:00

Having seen Cirque Du Soleil: "Mystere" & "O," U have been a big fan of them for numerous years. I have also seen Criss Angel's stage show (that he did in NY, NY several years ago) on DVD and I felt that it had numerous same qualities as Cirque Du Soleil in an "artsy" sense. So Criss Angel has signed a contract with Cirque Du Soleil at the Luxor, which I think is a dramatic change for Cirque Du Soleil, although, I think it is really cool with a very interesting twist. Finally an awesome magic show with an evolving art form...sweet. Can't wait to see it.!

Check out the press release here.

Magic Fans

2007-09-12T01:48:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note. I have performed magic for more than 5 years professionally. I've owned a business. And I know fairly well how to deal with people. Some of my favorite magaicians include Banachek, Derren Brown, and several others.

Many people ask me if I like David Blaine...I can't say I do, but I can't say I don't. Why? Well Mr. Blaine began the reality show very well, but then his stunts took over and that's about all he did, he lost attention because of it

Then, a new face entered the reality show arena: Criss Angel & his show: Mindfreak.
I have been impressed with his work, not just his tricks, but his performance - his showmanship.

In any business you have to be loyal to your customers or in this case - fans. Sometimes when you see him perform he comes across as an odd or in other words "un-real." HIs quite different in person. And recently is starting to show that in his show (which is a smart thing to do).

Like any famous person or band, he has loyal fans. Might I add -LOYAL- some of his fans have tatooed his face on their shoulder...WOW. Sorry I am not that loyal. But I do like his work and he is one that truly appreciates his fans; therefore, I think Criss Angel will be staying on top for quite some time.

FireFox Add-ons Re-Review & Update

2007-09-01T22:24:00.001-05:00

This is an update on the plug-ins I reviewed earlier. I noticed Firefox slowing down quite a bit, so I got rid of some & kept some. So here's the breakdown:

Fox Marks
KEEP
It is incredibly nice to have especially since I switch betwenn Mac & PC, I also have the portable version of firefox on my thumbdrive with this plug-in, so when I get on the school's PCs I can "sync" my bookmarks.

FoxyTunes
KEEP
I use this every now and then to listen to internet radio, quite convenient without the extra window.

ForcastFox
KEEP
I use this everyday! I have mine show current, tonight's and tomorrow's forecast & the animated radar. This is anothe favorite mine.

Fast Video Download
PITCH
Doesn't work all the time. Eventually just gave up.

Download Embedded
DISABLE
I kept this on, but I disabled it for the time being. I am not using, but I can see where it could come in handy.

Thumbstrips
TOSSED
To time consuming and can become confusing, I like the drop down back button or the history in Firefox that's already there...

Split Browser
DISABLED
Widows get too small and it is sometimes are to go back to tabbed view...more of a hassle really. Just disabled it though because I may use it in the future

Tab Catalog
REMOVED
I already have tabs and it's easier to flip through them.

ScribeFire
KEEP
Obviously. It is what I use to write these blogs. Get it if you write blogs anyway. Also you can be typing along and if you pkan to finish it later, you can continue to browse and bring it back up later. I wouldn't close the browser though... hadn't tried it yet.

FileUploader
DISABLED
Don't need it right now, but I will soon. Best one out there in my opinion.

Save Session
KEEP
I use this a lot especially when I am working on my computer while surfing the net, then all of a sudden I have to restart, so I just click the Save & Exit button and it will pen back everything up the next time I open firefox. Also you have the option to save session by going to the Tools menu & saving session the manually exiting later.

Toolbar Buttons
PITCHED
I have not "real" use for it.

Theme: Night Launch
TOSSED
I had trouble with my Add-ons when I used it.

Toolbar: Stumble Upon
KEEP
For wilfing....

I also added two others:

The Woot add-on. For Woots... it's a website that has a special everyday called a woot and the add on tells you what the woot is and how much it is. If you click on it, it will open a new tab and take you to the woot.

&

Download Statusbar
keeps are your downloads in the bottom bar (it isn't there all the time) It's better than having them in a "new window" Ctrl + J make it appear/disappear.

If I were to rank them by use I would say the Top 5 are:

1. Forecast Fox
2. SaveSession
3. Woot
4. ScribeFire
5. FoxMarks

TEAM v. Quixtar

2007-08-26T16:35:00.001-05:00

So after my spiel earlier, I know that everyone is either with TEAM, split, or with Quixtar. That's fine, but let me ask one question. Do you think that Alticor (Quixtar's parent company) handled the situation very well with media blog on their site? I mean are they professionals in how they write to their customers? I have done business for several years, and I would never reply to a customer(s) like that. TEAM is composed of about 700,000 people. To "tell off" that many people...is well, just stupid. I can't think of a better reason not to be in business with a group of people that don't know how to respect their distributors/clients/IBOs.

So what am I to do? Goodbye Quixtar/Alticor and manufactures associated with Quixtar. I am appalled by their behavior and I can't imagine myself doing business with these type of people. It's on thing to write professionally about the issue and a completely different thing to say what they did about hundred of thousands of IBOs.

I have one last thing: Nothing will stop my dreaming! I will go where I want to go in life because I can, not because I need Quixtar's/Alticor's/Amway's help.

All in all, I think their blog shows just how scared Quixtar is, TEAM is huge, they says that we have no creditability.
So what suddenly prompted XS to put out a press release, hmm intresting. Did Quixtar believe that we would be taking XS with us? Sound like a bully is amiss somewhere...
Yes XS sales are up, but I bet a majority of the sales was through TEAM....can't imagine how the sales & statistics are going to drop now...

Quixtar Makes Themselves Look Like ....

2007-08-16T17:40:00.001-05:00

I am completely horrified at what Quixtar calls themselves now!

I have been in Quixtar for about 3 years. I grew up in the "family learning everything about community and business practices. The organization that I was in called TEAM composed of nearly 700,000 people files lawsuit against Quixtar because of a few issues. Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward are the plaintiffs.
Like I said I was yes WAS proud to be in Quixtar, but recently is has made me really doubt THEIR business practices. The way they have handled it in the news. I was completely BLOWN away by their response. I have complete confidence in my up-line and FULLY support them. Here is an article from Quixtar that was sent to me today:

TEAM Leaders Terminated and Enjoined by State Court

Quixtar acts swiftly to protect business for all IBOs.

Quixtar
terminated 15 independent businesses last week as a result of actions
detrimental to the company's North American operations. The businesses
affected were part of the Team training organization plus a few other
training organizations using Team’s training materials and named as
co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Quixtar. Additionally, a state
court took the extraordinary step of enjoining Team leaders Orrin
Woodward and Chris Brady from using the Quixtar line of sponsorship to
sell or promote competing products such as their training system.
Further, they are prohibited from recruiting Quxtar IBOs to compete
with Quixtar's business and from enagaing in activities injurious to
Quixtar's reputation, and requiring them to return to Quixtar its
proprietary and confidential LOS data.

Quixtar was working with Woodward and Brady to correct issues related
to Team’s teaching of inappropriate business-building tactics, improper
positioning of the opportunity, and use of unauthorized support
materials. These teachings placed themselves, affiliated IBOs, and
Quixtar at serious and immediate risk of legal and regulatory actions
and had to be stopped.

Woodward and Brady refused to work with the company to return Team to
compliance with Quixtar’s rules, stated their intentions of starting a
new company in competition with Quixtar, and filed a lawsuit against
the company seeking relief from their non-compete requirements. The
lawsuit is filled with outrageous claims and statements and will be
defended vigorously by the corporation.

Quixtar is unwilling to put its business and the businesses of hundreds
of thousands of IBO at risk of legal and regulatory action caused by
Woodward and Brady’s practices. Ultimately, their unwillingness to
correct their improper methods and their stated plans to form a
competing business resulted in the termination of their IBO
businesses. Also terminated were co-plaintiffs Billy Florence, Don
Wilson, Randy Haugen, Chuck Goetschel, Tim Marks, Kirk Birtles, James
Martin, Aron Radosa, David Brandy, Benjamin Dickie, Bruce Gilbank,
Michael Martenson, and Chuck Cullen.

Quixtar remains committed to the support of all IBOs and will work with
those who agree to abide by the company’s rules and maintain high
ethical standards. The company is working hard on many exciting
programs that will help IBOs at all levels of the business make more
money through the Quixtar Independent Business Owner Compensation Plan.
The company is making unprecedented investments to improve the business
opportunity, including new investments of more than $60 million in
Quixtar Business Incentives, the launch of new training programs to
help make IBOs more successful, and exciting new product and category
launches.

Overall, the company is investing more than $200 million in product
development, brand building, training, and compensation enhancements to
make this business bigger and more successful than ever. Quixtar is
making these investments to benefit all IBOs who build their businesses
in an honest, ethical, and transparent manner and in compliance with
Quixtar’s Rules.

Quixtar will provide updates to IBOs as this situation develops. This
matter also is discussed in the Adatudes blog, where you can find a joint statement
from the company, the North American Founders Council, and the
Independent Business Owners Association International Board of
Directors. News updates are provided at www.quixtarnewsroom.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The main thing I learned from this business was about community and leadership practices along with customer service (servant leadership). The way they have haldled it is completly out of line. I was sent the 60 page litigation before thius took place after reading and reviewing I recognized it as a tough cookie, but went with it. TEAM produced it's own business materials allowing us to grow to the depth we've grown today (700,00 people) . I haven't seen one problem with their teaching. The diamonds in this business that have been "terminated" because of their practices and their teachings, along with their MLM? WHAT MLM!!! There was NOTHING...NOTHING about creating an MLM.

I am horribly outraged at what Quixtar was released for the articles. I have protected this business, defending it from others that have defamed it. Now Quixtar turns around and does just that to 700,000 IBOs! Something wrong with that? Yup I think so. These IBOs aren't going down with a fight. The only reason I got into this business was because what these IBOs stood for and thier practices. I have yet to see them stray from it!

So you may be questioning what they wanted to happen?
Firstly they were asking for the non-solicitation clause to be removed - this would allow us IBO to promote our products to public (not put them in retail stores) but it would allow us to post banners saying we sell them.

Secondly they called Quixtar a pyramid scheme. Yes this is putting it harshly, but here is why: they were asking for Quixtar to be more competitive in the market. In recent days prices have fallen for products you buy elsewhere, at Quixtar they have slightly gone up. If you're an IBO then you know that many (maybe most) of the product lines are better than any other products out there; therefore, we are willing to spend a bit more on the products. So What Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward are stating is - Quixtar is not keeping up with the market which makes it harder for us as IBOs to sell the products at retail cost and make a profit, and the only way to make profit is to build our community ("put people in under us") which is considered an pyramid scheme and in the legal system that's illegal.

Thirdly, they stated that the non-competition clause be removed. This troubled me a bit at first, but upon reviewing it more closely I realized they were/are hoping to use this as leverage for Quixtar to listen to them. The non-competition clause keeps any IBO from leaving his status as an IBO and going to another MLM for a period of 6 months. They never had any intention of creating another MLM & there wasn't ever one to begin with, other than Quixtar!

What are the settling for? They aren't asking for damages or money, just for Quixtar to fix some of the problem/ revise them.

Also may I remind you 8 of the 15 IBOs that were terminated were also on the IBO Board and resigned because Quixtar refused to listen to them and joined the lawsuit.

I mainly want to point out the second paragraph to you:

" We are disappointed that the founders of the Team training organization, Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, and other IBOs affiliated with Team, have refused to move forward with the Quixtar business into this new and promising future. Given Team's unwillingness to work with the corporation to remedy their bad business-building practices, their stated intent to start a competing MLM and, ultimately, their decision to file baseless litigation against the business opportunity from which they have profited for years, the NAFC and IBOAI fully support Quixtar's decision to terminate these IBOs' businesses. The terminations of Woodward, Brady, Billy Florence, Don Wilson, Randy Haugen, Chuck Goetschel, Tim Marks, Kirk Birtles, James Martin, Aron Radosa, David Brandy, Benjamin Dickie, Bruce Gilbank, Michael Martenson, and Chuck Cullen will help correct practices that put Quixtar and all IBOs at serious and immediate risk of legal and regulatory action."

REFUSED TO MOVE ON!!!?? Quixtar has humor...good for them...about the only thing so far. Quixtar is the one that won't move-on with the economy...ever wondered why other countries aren't having a problem?
Unfortunatley Quixtar could lose nearly 500,00 people for terminating these IBOs business sinse we are in their businesses

One last thing Quixtar says that they have been unwilling to remedy it with the plantiffs. I asume it WOULD be hard it they never listened actually the litigation states that they (Quixtar) never sat and listened or took anything into considerartion. They felt the only way for them to listen would to file suit. It has gone to state court, If it had violated any of quixtar's rules it would have never madded it there. Only time will tell the outcome....

We will survive this as a TEAM and I am behind them all the way!

Here is the rest of the article if you wish to read it:

Joint Statement Regarding Team

Friday, August 10, 2007

Quixtar Inc., North American Founders Council, and Independent Business Owners Association International Board of Directors Joint Statement Regarding Team

The North American Founders Council (NAFC) and Independent Business Owners Associational International (IBOAI) are proud to represent the Quixtar business opportunity, especially during this exciting period of transformation in our business. Unprecedented investments by Quixtar are poised to help make our businesses stronger than ever – more than $60 million in new money in Quixtar Business Incentives, launch of training to help make IBOs more successful, and exciting new product and category launches. Overall, the company is spending more than $200 million in product development, brand building, training and compensation enhancements to make this business opportunity bigger and more successful than ever.

We are disappointed that the founders of the Team training organization, Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, and other IBOs affiliated with Team, have refused to move forward with the Quixtar business into this new and promising future. Given Team's unwillingness to work with the corporation to remedy their bad business-building practices, their stated intent to start a competing MLM and, ultimately, their decision to file baseless litigation against the business opportunity from which they have profited for years, the NAFC and IBOAI fully support Quixtar's decision to terminate these IBOs' businesses. The terminations of Woodward, Brady, Billy Florence, Don Wilson, Randy Haugen, Chuck Goetschel, Tim Marks, Kirk Birtles, James Martin, Aron Radosa, David Brandy, Benjamin Dickie, Bruce Gilbank, Michael Martenson, and Chuck Cullen will help correct practices that put Quixtar and all IBOs at serious and immediate risk of legal and regulatory action.

The NAFC and IBOAI stand firmly with Quixtar in an unwillingness to put our business and the businesses of hundreds of thousands of IBOs at risk of legal and regulatory action caused by Woodward and Brady’s practices.

We believe the Quixtar business is the best business opportunity in the world. We are prepared to work with the corporation and other IBOs who remain committed to their businesses as we move through this period of transformation to become stronger and more profitable, helping more individuals than ever before achieve success with a Quixtar-powered business of their own.
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For other IBOs I ask that you PLEASE PLEASE look at both sides before making your judgment call. I have listed a site in which, if you wish to follow this you can read from the TEAM's POV:

http://team_orrin_woodward.typepad.com/

Also they mention a post they had to remove due to restraint order, I picked it up an it is below; although, I don't like what the site stands for. I also made a comment on the article which should show up in the next few hours as it must be approved. Search my name to find my comment if you wish.:

http://www.webraw.com/quixtar/archives/2007/08/orrin_woodward_leaves_quixtar.php

Online Photo Printers

2007-08-11T12:18:00.001-05:00

I have been looking for an online photo printer for a couple of months - not for professional use that is, but for pictures of friends & family. After much research I think I have finally found the best site:

Shutterfly.

Why? because their prints cost the same as Kodak with one exception - DISCOUNTS!

They have annual plans, pre-paid packages and what no that drop the print's costs drastically. For instance: a poster print (20" x 30") is $22.99 but using the annual plan it is $16.09, that's nearly $7 off the cost of the print. So how do you get the discounts? Well you pay an annual fee of $30...why pay for discount? Well I figure I'll be printing at least 5 poster prints in the next year, which allows me to "save" money.

Even if you were to go with medium sizes such as 11" x 14" (orig. $7.99) it would be $5.59 so on you 13th print you would start your saving right? Also the annual plan gives you a FREE photo album book ($30 value) so it's nearly free discounts! Right? Yes...maybe...the reason they do this is they believe most people will not buy that many prints in a year. So if you going to be doing larger prints, GO FOR IT! Smaller prints? you're better off doing the prepaid amount like (the best one I think) 400 4x6 photos for $56 ($0.14/photo) or you can go the 800 4x6 photo pre-paid plan which also includes a FREE photo album for $96 ($0.12/photo).

So see for yourself:

Plans Here

The best way to compare, and most importantly, you want to see the photo quality, so I suggest you order 5-10 prints from different places and see what is best - besides Shutterfly, you can also try Kodak
HAVE FUN!

Programs Programs Programs...

2007-08-11T02:15:00.001-05:00

So recently I have been doing a lot of research on different programs, here are the categories:

Personal Finance Management
Photo Tools
Panorama Stitching (QTVR)
Photo Organization

So I have been downloading quite a few freeware programs and a couple of trials of each. Here is what I have found so far:

For Personal Financing:

Personal Finances Lite v1.62 - freeware - this is limited compared to their other full version program which is $30, you can download a 30-day trial from the site here. As for the freeware, you can download it here.
Some other setups I have installed yet.

For Photo Tools:

Photo Toolkit - freeware - it is a plug-in for windows image viewer - what I like about this is it's great for the casual image editor, like removing red-eye, or (my favorite) Batch processing. Download it here.
My Pictures 3D - freeware - From their site "3D world featuring your photographic masterpieces!" pretty cool program. Allows you to create virtual worlds (includes themes exe. castles, museum, towers) and allows you to "hang" your pictures on the walls of the virtual world. You can have as your screensaver as well. Both the album maker and the screensaver + themes can be downloaded here.

In my next blog I'll talk about:
Programs for:

Panorama Stitching (QTVR)
Photo Organization

As well as:

iPod program tools (trying to make a set for free)
Photo Print - the best places to print photos

And even in a later blog:

What to do with your photos

It seems that you can catch obesity!--What?!?

2007-07-27T13:48:00.001-05:00

Victoria Advocate - Nation/World news

It seems that you can catch obesity

Study finds that obesity spreads in social circles

July 26, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.

BY ALICIA CHANG - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

If
your friends and family get fat, chances are you will too, researchers
report in a startling new study that suggests obesity is "socially
contagious" and can spread easily from person to person.
The large,
federally funded study found that to be true even if your loved ones
lived far away. Social ties seemed to play a surprisingly strong role,
even more than genes are known to do.
"We were stunned to find that friends who are hundreds of miles
away have just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends
who are right next door," said co-author James Fowler of the University
of California, San Diego.

The study found a person's chances of becoming obese went up 57
percent if a friend did, 40 percent if a sibling did and 37 percent if
a spouse did. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.

Researchers think it's more than just people with similar eating and
exercise habits hanging out together. Instead, it may be that having
relatives and friends who become obese changes one's idea of what is an
acceptable weight.

Despite their findings, the researchers said people should not sever their relationships.

"There is a ton of research that suggest that having more friends
makes you healthier," Fowler said. "So the last thing that you want to
do is get rid of any of your friends."

The study is published in today's New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Researchers analyzed medical records of people in the
Framingham Heart Study, which has been following the health of
residents of that Boston suburb for more than a half century. They
tracked records for relatives and friends using contact information
that participants provided each time they were examined over a 32-year
period.
In all, 12,067 people - all Framingham participants - were involved in the study.

After taking into account natural weight gain and other factors,
researchers found the greatest influence occurred among friends and not
in people sharing the same genes or living in the same household.
Geography and smoking cessation had no effect on obesity risk.

On average, the researchers calculated, when an obese person gained
17 pounds, the corresponding friend put on an extra 5 pounds.

Gender also had a strong influence. In same-sex friendships, a
person's obesity risk increased by 71 percent if a friend gained
weight. Between brothers, the risk was up by 44 percent and 67 percent
between sisters.

Indiana University statistician Stan Wasserman said while the study
was clever, it had its limitations because it excluded relationships
outside of the Framingham group.

Obesity is a global public health problem. About 1.5 billion adults
worldwide are overweight, including more than 400 million who are
obese. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese.

Much of the recent research focus has been on the intense hunt for
obesity genes involved in appetite or calorie burning. Treatment has
been mainly centered on helping individuals curb their weight through
better diet and fitness.

The findings could open a new avenue for treating this worldwide
epidemic. The researchers said it might be helpful to treat obese
people in groups instead of just the individual.

"Because people are interconnected, their health is interconnected,"
said lead author Nicholas Christakis, a Harvard sociologist.

Obesity experts not involved in the research said the results back
up what they have suspected all along - that people look toward one
another for what is an acceptable weight.

"If you're just a little bit heavy and everyone around you is quite
heavier, you will feel good when you look in a mirror," said Dr. David
Katz, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center.

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On the Net:

New England Journal:

Framingham Heart Study:

Harvard University:

University of California, San Diego:

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My Opinion:

I have mixed feelings about
this article.

I agree with the overall idea
of social obesity.
I don't like the idea of
people reading this article and shunning away from people that are obese.
I guess or I hope that when people read this article they don't find obese
people as a contagious disease. Rather I hope that they make a conscious
note to watch their diet.

According to the BMI calculations, I am obese at 255lbs. (I am also
6ft, green eyes, brown hair, and likes long walks on the beach...) I am also
trying to lose weight; just 2 months ago I weighed about 275lbs. So it really
depends on the people that you are with, that are obese...I guess it all comes
back to the idea of not judging a book by its cover. You never know maybe that
obese person is trying to lose weight and they may help you and encourage you
if your trying to lose weight.

Conclusion: Socialize with whom ever you want, your body is under
YOUR control, take care of it! You have to make the decisions in the end. So if
you become obese and decide it's due to a friend that just gained weight, think
again, it's your fault you committed the final act. Just keep in mind you
either 1. Don’t want to gain weight or 2. You want to lose weight and you'll be
fine.

Missed My Therapy Session

2007-07-16T21:33:00.001-05:00

If have been to YYLC (Yager Youth Leadership Conferance) you know what I mean when I say YYLC is therapy ;D Anway my very creative "sisters" took this picture at YYLC:

"Hi Matt"

So to say the least it made my day. I really miss them and everyone I know from YYLC...

Cool Firefox Addons

2007-07-16T16:52:00.001-05:00

After trying over 50 add ons (at once) I finally found some cool
add ons (12) that I enjoy. First in you don't already have it, you are
going to want to update/download the latest version of Firefox
(at least 2.0.0.4) otherwise some of the add ons may not work.

To update goto the Help menu on the top toolbar and click on "Check for
Updates" (according to the Mac). Some of the nest things about the new
version of Firefox is that it was an in-line spell checker (with
several dictionaries/languages available). I recommend installing the
google toolbar with firefox or going to google and downloading it, it
is really quite useful for quick searches. Also the thing firefox had
always done (as far as I know) is the use of tabs. It eats less of you
RAM rather than having several windows open and you can easily flip
through the tabs (Control + Tab)., which now the new Internet Explorer
has, but I have never been a fan of Internet Explorer.  Firefox also
has such an open range of add-pns, you are likely to find anything for
your needs (with the exception to real estate, I haven't found anything
for that).

These are not listed in any particular order

10 FoxMarks Bookmark Synchronizer: Keep Your Bookmarks No Matter Where You Are.

A bookmark syncing add on that allows you to sync your bookmarks with
their server (by creating a free account) and retrieve them from any
computer with an internet connection. I have a PC & a Mac, so when
I am switching between the two i.e. I am on the Mac a want the bookmark
from my PC, it's already there. Really cool software, give it a go! 5/5.

9. FoxyTunes: Portal Between Your Browser and Your Media Player

This I use quite a bit. If you listen to music and surf the net, this
is for you. FoxyTunes controls your media player. Once you get your
player going (on internet radio or whatever) you can hide the player
(especially nice for windows users, one less program in the status
bar). It has a full range of controls and also displays test for the
song. The controls are in the status bar at the bottom of Firefox
(where the text "Done" is displayed when a page is loading) I have had
no problems with it yet. 5/5.

8. ForcastFox 0.9.5.2: Tells You The Weather

Weather at the tips of your...er...mouse pointer. This is my favorite
weather program, its quite accurate and very unobtrusive. This add on
has a fairly abundant amount of options. Once again this add-on is
displayed in the Firefox status bar (bottom right corner) and if you
hover
over the earth globe, you get a radar (which can be animated) also you
can change the icons that are displayed. Like mine (as you can see it's
a bit gloomy here) which can also be changed in the Options menu. 5/5

7. Fast Video Download: Download Embedded Videos

There
are several video downloaders out there and I believe this one to be
the best and what this can't download, Download Embedded can. On some
video downlaods they will download as a *.flv and you will need VLC Media Player to view it (it's free).

Although like I said it doesn't always work but it's a nice tool to have. 3.5/5.

6. Download Embedded: Download Embedded Objects

Basically
you are able to download everything that is embedded into a website -
pictures, flash movies, videos, music, etc. This is a fun one to use. I
have had very little trouble with it downloading any type of media. It
will auto detect when there are embedded objects and the little
"downward-pointing" arrow will appear (to the left of Forcast Fox for
me). Although the website says :

"although this does NOT work on video embedded in flash [ youtube, video.google.com, etc.. ]."

I have found it does work, but you will have to use the VLC Media Player. 4.5/5.

5. ThumbStrips: Visual Web History

Thumbstrips
allows you to view your history in visual thumbnails, allowing you to
visually glance "back" and navigate back to a certain web page. It also
shows the times in which you were there (i.e. "3 mins. ago"). It also
allows you to filer oout certain website to help you find the right
webpage you were at. I sometimes would bookmark the page, but then
either forget to look at it or couldn't remember what the site was
called. But this solves the problem for me, I'll remember what it looks
like. 5/5

4. Split Browser or Tab Catalog: Navigate In A "Split"

These two progams do basically the same thing, but it's up to you to see which one you like better:

Split Browser:

It
splits your tabs into sections allowing you to view & navigate
multipe tabs at a time. Quite nice if you have a large monitor, but I
don't think it would be very useful with more than 6 tabs or a smaller
monitor, as the content would be to small for viewing. I knocked of a
point in my rating because sometimes it got confusing on how to go back
to tabs or it I create a new tab, it doesn't split it as well but then
you have two tabs in one of the split boxes. So it can get quite
confusing. Also if you hover in the middle of the top, bottom, or sides
of the split tabs, it will allow you to make the "splitees" around
within the window. You then can select to "gather" the tabs which will
put all the tabs back into their normal view.

Tab Catalog:

This
is my favorite between the two. The main difference though is Tab
Catalog shows all your current tabs in catalog/thumbnail view and you
click on the one you want to use and Split allows you to navigate all
at once. Quite nice if you have a lot of tabs up and you end up
scrolling through all of them to find which on you want. Also the
"catalog" can be pulled up (or turned off) by pressing the F8 key,
which is a major plus. It also allows you to select multiple tabs and
close them at once, but you can't rearrage them, which would be nice.
4.5/5

3. ScribeFire: Blog From Anywhere

 

Well
basically. it's actually what I am using for this blog. It allows you
to write you blog without even being logged iin. I was able to to do my
blogs very quick. I didn't have to login....browse to editor...etc.
Just type & post! Has nice features allowing linkage and
photo; embedding, as well as trackback URLs, tags, categories.
If you blog, you MUST try it! The box pops up when you click the icon
on the bottom status bar. Very very nice. 5/5

2. FireUploader: Upload faster than the speed of light...not really

Upload
your photos & movies from anywhere. this nifty little add on sits
in your status bar until you click on it to open it. It allows you to
upload videos to youtube, pictures to facebook, Flickr, Box.net (1 GB free storage), Picassa (Google's albums),  Webshots (Another video blog thingy), and OmniDrive (also free 1 GB storage). Nice for photo blogging, backing up photos on trips, etc.

1. Save Session: Save Yourself

You
know how sometimes youur computer just randomly turns off and when you
re-open Firefox you have the option of Restoring the Session or Create
A New Session. Well this works the same way, except it you have all
your tabs open and you have to restart firefox or your computer due to
an update of and installation, well you just go to the Edit Menu and
scroll down to "Save Session & Exit" and it will do just that. You
can also go to the Tools menu and just "Save Session" without exiting.
Pretty nifty! I give it a 4/5 because it would be nice to have a save
& restart function.

Extras:

Toolbar Buttons 0.4.1.4: Push YOUR OWN Buttons

Not
necessarily Cool, but helpful, it adds buttons, so that you can
customize your tool bar to do all sorts of shortcuts, like show
downloads, open new tab, enlarge or decrease text size, restart
browser, full screen and lots more. 3.5/5 - would be nice to have
different Icons but still keep the same commands.

Themes:

NASA Night Launch:

An
all out awesome theme. You have to try it and see it. I had a few
problems though, some of the addons I had, I couldn't view some of
their text. 4/5

Extensions:

Stumble Upon Toolbar:

A
really nifty toolbar. Once you have the toolbar you create a free
account and set your preferences, then start "Stumbling" When you click
the Stumble! button on the toolbar it will send you to a random website
that it believes you will like you can either rate it a thumbs-up or
thumbs-down and it will learn what you like and what you don't like.
This is another must for firefox! You can also specify if you only want
to stumble across videos, pictures or news. You can also go into your
account and see what your favorites are at any point in time
(thumb-ups). Try It!

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