Joe's blog

PeoplePond - come on in. The water’s fine

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:24:22 Z

Every now and then I use this blog for a shameless plug of what I’m working on. And this time what I’m working on is the launch of PeoplePond. I have set up my profile there: Joe Beaulaurier.

Using PeoplePond, I put up a biographical “About Me” that is rich with those SEO keywords I think best represent me. I set up a pic of me and then filled in the blanks for all the social media and social network sites I care to share with others.

“Then what?” you ask. Precisely. There’s not much more for you to do except to toss your business cards and change your online signature to point to your page on PeoplePond.

Over time, you will discover your online identity (all those places where you put up comments, posts, pictures, music, video, etc.) will begin appearing higher in the search engine pages thus resulting in more people finding you online. If you have a product to sell, a service people need, an offer to make, etc. you will notice more interest as your messages become more visible.

What’s this about tossing business cards? Erm, yeah. I did say to do that didn’t I? Let me give you a little foundation first. PeoplePond is actually the compilation of Weavemet.com, DandyID.com and PeoplePond.com. By setting up on PeoplePond, you automatically inherit accounts at Weavemet and DandyID.

Weavemet is where your contact information is stored. One of the really kewl features of Weavemet is the ability to use text messages on your phone to request contact information from people (even if they aren’t using Weavemet yet) and to approve requests from others (again, even if they’re not using Weavemet).

I will receive a note telling me you are requesting my contact information. You will also receive a text instructing you how to quickly set up on Weavemet to receive my information. Once you’re ready, my information will be sent in a vCard email attachment that is usually painless to import into whatever address book you use.

So imagine standing in front of a new contact, pulling out your phone and sending a quick text message. Their phone then pings them with a message from Weavemet. Bing Bang Boom! They have your info. No lost business cards and no time wasted entering data. Quick – clean – easy.

PeoplePond is currently in a closed beta. That means you need an invitation code to set up an account. These codes are being released slowly. Follow PeoplePond on Twitter at twitter.com/peoplepond to see if the most recent code still works. If it has been used up don’t worry. More will follow.

Technorati Tags: joebeaulaurier,peoplepond,weavemet,dandyid,cranberryllc,identity,seo,portability,contacts,addressbook,social media,social networking

More snow?

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:26:27 Z

Snow in Ferndale is a rarity. That’s one reason I like living here. But this winter we had a long-lasting snow event in December and an even longer cold snap for weeks following. Even two trips to Miami weren’t enough to remove the chill in my bones.

And today… mid-March… I’m awaiting another snow event in Ferndale.

WTH?

WSDOT FAIL

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:21:08 Z

The Washington Department of Transportation has developed a web site that is nothing short of spectacular, especially in a state that enjoys frequent unanticipated weather events that affect traffic. But it is only as good as the information provided to it and information regarding weather events outside of Snohomish, Pierce and King Counties and the mountain passes is sorely neglected. I can’t say whether the information is disregarded or if there is not collection mechanism to start with but the following screen caps are typical when there is a weather event outside the tax base of the Seattle-Tacoma population.

Click to enlarge

This is the Bellingham-specific page on the WSDOT site. It is automatically updated with live cameras and road traffic measurement equipment embedded in the I-5 roadbed.

Note the slow and stopped traffic indicated by yellow, red and black on the flow map. Note the blizzard condition indicated by the live camera still. This weather event had been happening for about 5 hours at the time I made these screen caps.

Also not the lack of any timely advisories regarding the event that is slamming the area.

Click to enlarge

This is the NW Washington State page for locating travel alerts and slowdowns information. Notice the Whatcom County region? Nothing more than an obligatory construction advisory.

If I’m leaving SeaTac airport and driving home, I would expect that I can look at this page and see if there’s anything between me and home in Ferndale. But, as is apparent here, I would need to view the camera images all the way up my route.

I have taken this up with WSDOT and was told that 1) they can only do so much and 2) I should look on the Bellingham page for timely information.

UPDATE 2/26/09 – I received an email from WSDOT Communications. It reads as follows:

Hello Mr. Beaulaurier:
Thank you for sharing your blog entry with us. I know that the site
appears biased toward the metropolitan Seattle area, but there is a
reason behind what you see.
These "services" are not technically "services" for the general public -
the cameras, road sensors, etc. They are functions that highway
engineers use to monitor highways.
The traffic engineers have put them in place based on the needs of their
jobs. The tools were already in use by the engineers for quite some
time, when the Web Team decided to make the traffic engineers' tools
available to the general public - via the Web site. But the choice of
technology and the locations covered are specific to the requirements of
the highway engineers. We would like to cover the entire state with the kind of
details provided by these tools. We also would like to develop a
web-based application where you can enter your starting location, your
ending location and get all of the travel details and issues on the
route you have chosen. Some day, maybe. Meanwhile, we are attempting to
provide you with whatever is available to assist in your travels. We
simply do not have the collection mechanisms in place to provide more
comprehensive data across the state. We may be able to upgrade some of
our cameras or add new cameras with federal stimulus funds, but it is
too early to tell for sure.
Our camera technology doesn't function well in extreme weather. In this
last big storm, we had many camera outages due to frozen fiber optic
cables. Our road maintenance crews do their best to repair them.
However, their first priority is to make the roads safe and passable for
motorists. Especially when we have a lot of snow and ice, it takes
awhile for the cameras to rise to the top of the priority list.
We've tried to provide as much mountain pass information as we can. I'm
not sure if you've visited the Statewide Mountain Pass page at:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/ where we compiled the mountain
pass information together. We also have mountain pass reports available
via GovDelivery, an e-mail subscription service available on the site.
Go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/emailupdates/ and enter your e-mail
address. Follow the instructions to establish your subscription and then
check the boxes next to the alerts you want to receive. You can receives
alerts about all of the passes, or just the one you travel most
frequently. To unsubscribe, simply uncheck the boxes. Some of the alerts
are available for wireless devices, too.
We hope you will continue to use the WSDOT site, despite its current
imperfections.

I entirely understand her point but seeing it makes me fear I didn’t communicate my position very well. The detection and communication of weather and accident-related incidents are outside of sensors and cameras. It involves State Patrol and WSDOT staff communications. At some point, these do find their way onto the regional map; very quickly it seems in the Seattle region but never or hours later in the outlying areas. That’s my complaint. My guess is it’s merely a matter of resources and priority.

Kudos to the WSDOT for replying so quickly. In her signature block she points to several social media resources which are handy to have.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wsdot
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot
Blog: http://www.wsdotblog.blogspot.com

Are you really who you say you are?

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:17:34 Z

Today I received an email from Twitter telling me ~~the~~ that Jason Calacanis had requested to follow me on Twitter. I was immediately suspect since Jason, although he’s met me and I have worked for companies he’s started, wouldn’t have any reason to know my name let alone have any interest in my Twittering, which has been all but nonexistent for months.

I visited the Twitter profile identified in the email and I wondered what on it would enable me to validate that it was in fact his and not someone having fun using his name. I immediately saw my answer in that this profile was following and being followed by some 50,000+ other Twitterers. That also answered my question as to why he was pinging me, it’s part of his marketing machinery for Mahalo. He’s reached 50,000 people for next to no cost. That’s something. He’s able to keep them engaged over time. That’s a miracle.

Then I noticed a tweet sent from this profile that said, “Watch now!” and provided a link to a YouTube video. This video was put up by a YouTube account named, “RepAlanGrayson", and the title was “$1.2 Trillion Slush Fund: Congressman Alan Grayson Grills Fed Vice Chair Donald Kohn.” Again I was led to wonder who really was posting this and do they really represent Representative Grayson’s interests. As I watched the poor quality video, I was evened challenged to decide the audio I was hearing was in fact what had been said. Yeah, I’m a weeee bit paranoid.

So how do I go about authenticating social media and networking accounts which represent themselves as belonging to notable individuals and for that matter, friends and associates?

del.icio.us Tags: identity,authentication,validation,verification,social media,social networking

A little unexpected career change

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:56:24 Z

Here's the short version:

I left PRWeb in September to join a startup company
12/23 advised of a company-wide layoff effective 12/29
kept the news to myself soas not to ruin anyone's Christmas celebrating at home
on the evening of 12/29 I sent out an email to a few hundred past business associates and acquaintances letting them know I was available
I met with the founder of PRWeb at 11am 12/30 and by 1pm was filling out the necessary employee payroll forms
woof! what a ride

The founder of PRWeb sold the company and hasn’t been a part of day-to-day operations for some time. Since then he has built up several new business enterprises (mostly online properties) as well as a brick and mortar retail business (selling Vespa scooters and Segway people movers). I get to bring the genius of these enterprises to market.

And if that wasn't enough, my office is in Ferndale within walking distance of my home in the same building I was in when I started with PRWeb. I know most everyone I’ll be working with and they know me. Deja vu!

Thank you everyone for your assistance, support and confidence-building replies to my email. And a very big thanks to David for making a place for me.

The White Christmas it was

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:18:30 Z

View Full Album

Talking about Best Heart Remedy: Sleep -

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:53:20 Z

This is what I've been waiting to hear...

Talking about Best Heart Remedy: Sleep - News- msnbc.com
If they slept eight hours or more, the risk was just 6 percent. But if they slept just five hours or less, the risk jumped to 27 percent.

Keyword cloud goofiness

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:30:18 Z

They keyword PAULINE in my blog’s “Keyword Cloud” was much larger than any other keyword. I am not blogging about Pauline in any shape or form so this is rather bizarre. Upon closer examination I can only assume that I am displaying someone else’s keyword cloud on my blog.

WTH?

Technorati Tags: windows live spaces,goofiness,I don't know Pauline,Really,I don't

It’s looking like the snow’s acoming!

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:42:16 Z

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
343 PM PST TUE DEC 16 2008

...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR MOST NORTHERN ZONES IN WESTERN WASHINGTON AS WELL AS THE CASCADES AND OLYMPICS...

...A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHERN ZONES IN WESTERN WASHINGTON...

.A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON FROM CANADA LATE TONIGHT...AND WITH A VERY COLD AIR MASS STILL OVER THE REGION...SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN WASHINGTON. A COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. SOME AREAS WILL GET HEAVY SNOW...FOUR INCHES OR MORE...AND A WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THEM. SOME AREAS MAY NOT GET HEAVY SNOW...THEY MAY GET UP TO THREE INCHES...BUT THE DETAILS REMAIN UNCERTAIN. THE WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE BUT NOT CERTAIN.

National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary

Technorati Tags: whee!,snow snow snow,no school,working from home,weeeeeeeee

Sorry, I’m not your husband/father

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:22:34 Z

I had to swing through Costco for a bag of dog food and their incredible huge fresh-baked breakfast muffins yesterday. The huge bag of dog food requires I use a cart. So after picking up my goodies and stealthily making my way down the less-traveled center aisle to checkout I chose my checkout line and headed towards it. I notice a 8 or 9 year-old girl walking toward the same point on my left. I stopped early thinking she would be continuing on her way in front of my cart. But no… she stops right next to my cart… looking around at the scenery… creepy.

She then looks into my cart and squeals while pointing at the muffins, “I didn’t see you picking those up. I can’t believe we’re going to have them. Oh, I love those!”

I’m about to respond when out of my right eye I see someone on the other side of my cart looking at what the girl is so excited about. It’s a woman. She’s looking a little stunned and then turns and looks up at me. “Hello,” I say. “Wrong cart?”

I don’t recall the exchange that followed but they quickly apologized with a sheepish grin and goose-stepped down a few checkout lanes to a perplexed looking husband/father who was gesturing his “WTH?” with outstretched arms. Fortunately, he had a big grin on too so I echoed his gesture and body language back to him.

It was a good chuckle. Given that I am normally made miserable by the ineptness that pervades our retail employee pool, this was a rare moment of retail happiness.

ps… while waiting in line I got to see the unrelenting clumsy and egotistical sales effort of a Costco employee badgering a young couple to upgrade their membership… justified by their buying habits. They were giving no buying signals and expressed their lack of interest many times. He followed them as they made their way to the door. Sigh…but I smiled as I thought back to that moment when my buying habits were shocking my momentarily adopted family.

Something's gonna happen

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:32:17 Z

While attending a performance of the Nutcracker last night, a little boy in the row ahead of us was incredibly enamored with the conversation and laughter going on among my three daughters during intermission. He was kneeling on his seat and completely turned around watching their animated conversation. I commented to them later about him and my eldest pointed out, "He saw three chicks; one in a Carhart jacket, one in a soccer warmup and the other in a pea coat... something was going to happen."

Pretty insightful she is.

Happy Holidays and Christmas Too

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:24:17 Z

===============================
FROM: Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: 7th November
RE: Christmas Party

I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at noon in the private function room at the Grill House.

There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols ... please feel free to sing along. And don't be surprised if the Managing Director shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit at 1.00 p.m. Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time, however, no gift should be over £10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets This gathering is only for employees! The Managing Director will make a special announcement at the Party.

Merry Christmas to you and your Family.

Pauline

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM: Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: 8th November
RE: Holiday Party:

In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognise that Chanukah is an important holiday, which often coincides with Christmas, 'though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on we're calling it our 'Holiday Party' ... The same policy applies to any other employees who are not Christians. There will be no Christmas tree or Christmas carols sung. We will have other types of music for your enjoyment. Happy now?

Happy Holidays to you and your family,

Pauline.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM; Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: 9th November
RE: Holiday Party

Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table...you didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads, "AA Only", you wouldn't be anonymous anymore!!!! How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody? Forget about the gift exchange, no gift exchange allowed now since the Union Officials feel that £10.00 is too much money and Management believe £10.00 is a little cheap. NO GIFT EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.

Pauline.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM: Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: 10th November
RE: Holiday Party

What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20th begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon at this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps the Grill House can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party - or else package everything up for you to take home in a little foil doggy bag. Will that work? Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Weight Watchers to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and pregnant women will get the table closest to the toilets. Gays are allowed to sit with each other, Lesbians do not have to sit with gay men, and each will have their own table. Yes, there will be flower arrangements for the gay men's table too. To the person asking permission to cross dress - no cross-dressing allowed. We will have booster seats for short people. Low fat food will be available for those on a diet. We cannot control the salt used in the food ... we suggest those people with high blood pressure taste the food first. There will be fresh fruits as dessert for Diabetics; the restaurant cannot supply "No Sugar" desserts. Sorry! Did I miss anything?!?!?!?!?!

Pauline.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM: Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All F****** Employees
DATE: 8 November
RE: The ******** Holiday Party.

Vegetarian pricks I've had it with you people !!! We're going to keep this party at the Grill House whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death", as you so quaintly put it, you'll get your f****** salad bar, including organic tomatoes, But you know tomatoes have feelings too. They scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right NOW!! I hope you all have a rotten holiday, drink drive and die.

The Bitch from HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM: John Bishop - Acting Human Resources Director
DATE: 11th November
RE: Pauline Lewis and Holiday Party

I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Pauline Lewis a speedy recovery, and I'll continue to forward your cards to her. In the meantime, the Management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and instead, give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd December off with full pay.

If I were the elementary school principal

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:54:21 Z

If I were the school principal, I would post the following throughout the building and make it mandatory reading for all students and, more importantly, their parents.

Teachers,

Just a quick note regarding some of the services we offer to support you and your students.

Do you find your students wasting valuable instruction/work time in class? We are now offering similar opportunities for their recess time. For no additional fee we will provide them with "focus" during their much loved and valuable recess time. They can spend the time thinking about listening or working strategies that they could utilize to become more successful.

Do you find your students with a limited vocabulary sliding to the side of rude, crude, or socially unacceptable? Not a problem. Just send them to our Vocabulary Enhancement Program. This allows them to spend some quality time writing 25-100 other words that start with the same letters, perhaps requiring them to spend some quality time getting up close and personal with a dictionary first. Just think of the benefit of having more words right on the tip of their tongue.

We have a special program for those students that seem to have a lack of citizenship or compassion. Oh, yes...we highly recommend our Citizenship Enhancement Program. Our motto says it all..."Building character one sweep at a time"! This program will have students finding a true appreciation for their fellow students by sweeping the gravel off of the blacktop path that leads to the lower playground, therefore making it safe for children to run freely and not slip on the dangerous and pesky little rocks. Think of the money our school budget will save on Band-aids alone. What a fabulous contribution!

Have a student with a problem remembering to walk on sidewalks, hallways, or in classrooms? Not a problem. The School Walking Club is always looking to increase it members. We have limited memberships starting with one recess, or sign up for the extended membership of a week. We aim to please! I have heard that sometimes it take 3 weeks for your mind and body to adjust to a change. We have a wonderfully paved road paid for by the School District with pretty lines painted on it...just right for walking in a restricted space. It's safe, secure, and within viewing of the playground staff.

For those students that have earned 5 or more write-ups, we have a special circle or square for them. They may have lost the privilege to roam free on the playground or play with other because of safety issues, but we will happily give them a hula hoop, jump rope, and personal escort back to their class line after the whistle has blown. High fives will be given to all participants at the end of a successful recess.

We believe that social graces are important. Especially when it comes to writing letters of apology. Ms. Manners would be so impressed. If you feel a staff member, fellow student, or guest teacher should receive a formal letter of apology, we are in complete agreement. We have clip boards, paper, and pencils lined up and waiting for that remorseful student that needs to write one (or two or three...). We would be happy to assist them with their format and help spell any of the important words that need to be included such as; disrespectful, I am sorry, rude, poor choice, forgive me, next time...the list goes on. We will provide envelopes and take the time to find an address and mail it, if necessary.

If you have a student that you feel would benefit from any of these programs, please don't hesitate to send us an email. We may also be reached on short notice by calling or walking to the office to relay the message. It's our "instant messenger service" and works quite well. We take pride in our programs and encourage any ideas you may have. We will also design a special program to meet the need of any student. We are here to help and are happy to be of service.

I wish I could take credit for this snarky approach to the common sense that is no longer in our schools. And, no, Patty can’t take credit for it either.

Hey kids, let’s open a bank

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:51:19 Z

An article recently pointed out how the Fed’s infusion of cash into the banking system is not making its way into our economy as expected since banks are hoarding the cash (read not lending it). So the feds are bypassing the banks and making direct investments (read being like a bank and lending cash). I can only assume banks are shifting from profit-making mode to looking-better-than-their-competitors-on-paper mode. By hoarding cash, their balance sheets don’t look so heavy on the credit side. Instead they look like they are very very liquid (heavy on the asset side) thus better able than their competitors to handle the nastiness that’s yet to hit us.

So this, at least to me, begs the question: Why aren’t we seeing a bunch of startup banks? It seems that this is prime time to spring onto the scene, lacking all the baggage the rest of the industry has picked up recently. A fresh loan portfolio lacking in real estate debacles and no sour correspondent bank relationships to complicate things. Sure, you’re still going to need to have tight credit requirements given the future economic straits we heading into to.

But, really, where are the new banks?

the dissident – a beer review

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:56:05 Z

I overheard the store libations expert at the Ferndale Haggen pointing out a beer as “something new,” “interesting,” and “like a brown ale.” When I saw it was sold in individual oversized bottles sealed with a dipped-wax cap, I had to spend some birthday money (~$10) to satisfy my curiosity. I figured that if someone was going to put their brand on the line at $10 a bottle, the least I could do was buy one. I was a also little fearful I would not be able to buy anything but this stuff once it passed my lips.

I broke through the two layers of wax seal and popped the metal cap. The aroma was sweet but not Corona sweet. This wasn’t a blonde ale but it was definitely no stout either. It was, as promised, definitely a brown ale. The first taste was confusing. It was more sweet than bitter (I’m not a big bitter beer fan) but the flavors were not what I’m accustom to in a beer. Hey, it’s called the dissident right? I was warned.

I tasted fruit… maybe a berry-like flavor. The label tells of using wild yeast. Maybe that’s the source? Sorry, I’m no brewmeister. Patty thought it was more like a lemon, no, lime flavor behind the yeast and hops. So maybe it will taste different to everyone?

I will say this, it’s not something I’d drink by itself but with chips and salsa (and I would guess other food too) it was the perfect beer.

If you’ve got a ten-spot burning a hole in your pocket, track down “the dissident” and see for yourself.

the dissident 2008 reserve
Flanders style brown ale
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon, USA

Like two welterweight boxers

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:22:23 Z

Have you ever seen a welterweight boxing match? Welterweight it the lightest weight division and bouts usually involve two guys pummeling each other yet neither being able to actually inflict any substantial damage. So they flail away and then wait for the judges ruling.

I think of this when wondering whether to watch the Washington State NCAAF rivalry between WSU and UofW. UofW has yet to win a Pac10 game and WSU has only won one or two.

Humor prevails under such circumstances. The Tri-City Herald asked its readers to send in their favorite Cougar jokes and Husky jokes around this rivalry. Here are my two favorites:

Why did the Wazzu grad cover her ears?
She was trying to hold in a thought.
Some Huskies were trying to scare the Cougar football team
before the game and by throwing firecrackers through the locker room windows.
The Cougars lit them and threw them back.

Technorati Tags: huskies,cougars,jokes,rivalry,ncaaf

Healthsitter.com

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:47:20 Z

A friend of mine pointed me to a Web site, www.healthsitter.com, that his son, step-son, son-in-law (? I forget so just pick one) was behind. The idea behind the site/business won 1st prize in an entrepreneurial competition at Fresno State. Sounds like an interesting idea:

Lyles Review | Spring 2008
The team with an idea and business plan for the website HealthSitter.com claimed first place in the $10K Competition. The team was awarded $6,500, as well as an office space in the Lyles Center’s Hatchery and a scholarship to attend the E-Myth Leadership Intensive Seminar, a two-day event valued at $1,500. In addition, the team will be automatically entered into the Draper Fisher Jurvetson $250K Venture Challenge.
The team’s website will allow people concerned with health issues and various traditional, contemporary or alternative treatments, to talk to one another. Alastair Macleod was inspired to create such a web site because he has struggled with health issues and believes such a site would have helped him. The site is divided into social networks so that the users can talk with others who are going through the same things as they are. “I wanted to create a web site that people could understand and didn’t just contain a lot of medical talk,” Macleod said. “The concept is something that if it took off, it could really help a lot of people.
The team continues to work on their business and is moving into their hatchery space at the Lyles Center. Macleod said his team is excited about their new place to conduct business as well as the many resources and people they will have access to.

Know anyone who'd like to help this idea along? I can put you in touch.

Split post needed

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:41:14 Z

That last lengthy post really reveals a painful short-coming of the Live Spaces blogging platform - no split-post feature.

Iraqi Ministry of Defense quotes

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:57:31 Z

Do you recall the comedic statements from Mr al-Sahaf, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense spokesman, during the initial weeks of the war on Iraq? I kept these for all these years. I’m looking for a place to store them and this seemed as good as any. Enjoy!

"On this occasion, I am not going to mention the number of the infidels who were killed and the number of destroyed vehicles. The operation continues"
"We're giving them a real lesson today. Heavy doesn't accurately describe the level of casualties we have inflicted."
"I can say, and I am responsible for what I am saying, that they have
started to commit suicide under the walls of Baghdad. We
will encourage them to commit more suicides quickly."
"Their infidels are committing suicide by the hundreds on the gates of Baghdad. Be assured, Baghdad is safe, protected."
"NO", snapped Mr al-Sahaf, "We have retaken the airport. There are NO Americans there. I will take you there and show you. IN ONE HOUR!"
"We defeated them yesterday. God willing, I will provide you with more information. I swear by God, I swear by God, those who are staying in Washington and London have thrown these mercenaries in a crematorium."
"Please, please! The Americans are relying on what I called yesterday a desperate and stupid method."
"They will be burnt. We are going to tackle them"
"We blocked them inside the city. Their rear is blocked"
"Desperate Americans"
"Today we slaughtered them in the airport. They are out of Saddam International Airport. The force that was in the airport, this force was destroyed."
"We went into the airport and crushed them, we cleaned the WHOOOLE place out, they were slaughtered"
"Yes, the American troops have advanced further. This will only make it easier for us to defeat them"
"Their casualties and bodies are many."
[On surrenders] "Those are not Iraqi soldiers at all. Where did they bring them from?"
"Just look carefully, I only want you to look carefully. Do not repeat the lies of liars. Do not become like them. Once again, I blame al-Jazeera before it ascertains what takes place. Please, make sure of what you say and do not play such a role."
"Search for the truth. I tell you things and I always ask you to verify what I say. I told you yesterday that there was an attack and a retreat at Saddam's airport."
"You can go and visit those places. Nothing there, nothing at all. There are Iraqi checkpoints. Everything is okay."
"This boa, the American columns, are being besieged between Basra and other towns north, west, south and west of Basra....Now even the American command is under siege. We are hitting it from the north, east, south and west. We chase them here and they chase us there."
"By God, I think this is rather very unlikely. This is merely a prattle. The fact is that as soon as they reach Baghdad gates, we will besiege them and slaughter them....Wherever they go they will find themselves encircled."
"Listen, this explosion does not frighten us any longer. The cruise missiles do not frighten anyone. We are catching them like fish in a river. I mean here that over the past two days we managed to shoot down 196 missiles before they hit their target."
"Blair...is accusing us of executing British soldiers. We want to tell him that we have not executed anybody. They are either killed in battle, most of them get killed because they are cowards anyway, the rest they just get captured."
"They fled. The American louts fled. Indeed, concerning the fighting waged by the heroes of the Arab Socialist Baath Party yesterday, one amazing thing really is the cowardice of the American soldiers. we had not anticipated this."
"the louts of colonialism."
"Whenever we attack, they retreat. When we pound them with missiles and heavy artillery, they retreat even deeper. But when we stopped pounding, they pushed to the airport for propaganda purposes.''
Any apparent American gains, he said, were a cunning ploy by the Iraqis to lure the enemy into a trap. "Our armed
forces, according to their tactics, are leaving the way open"
"The capital, especially the commandos, are getting ready to wipe them out"
"We are surrounding them and pounding them. The whole trend has changed and we are going to finalize this very soon."
"The forces of American colonialism began to drop containers that produce a sound explosion, a very huge sound. I remind you that they said that their strategy is based on shock and awe. Those failed ones manufactured a type of container that has an explosive substance, which they drop. They cause a very huge explosion in terms of sound, as if the universe was shaken. After a while, you go out and you don't find anything. You find some nails, screws, pieces of metal, but the important thing here is the sound. Those failed ones think that through the huge sound explosion, people would be shocked and consequently would collapse and be defeated. What happened? The contrary. The fighters..., the masses..., and the heroic sons of the Iraqi tribes discovered this game. They will turn it against the American louts so as to shock them. Wait for surprises, God willing, to see how the US game will fail."
"The shock has backfired on them. They are shocked because of what they have seen. No one received them with roses. They were received with bombs, shoes and bullets. Now, the game has been exposed. Awe will backfire on them. This is the boa snake. We will extend it further and cut it the appropriate way."
"It has been rumored that we have fired scud missiles into Kuwait. I am here now to tell you, we do not have any scud missiles and I don't know why they were fired into Kuwait."
"As for the mercenaries who advanced to the perimeters of Saddam International Airport, I would like to remind you of something. I will mention something that will make the picture clear for you and help you to understand what took place at Saddam International Airport. Most of you probably saw the American movie "Wag the Dog". I hope you remember it. Some of their acts that took place at dawn yesterday and today are similar to what happened in "Wag the Dog". If we succeed in keeping them isolated on that island, and we are determined to do so, we might let them taste a second mini Dien Bien Phu tonight. The European journalists remember it well. Our estimates are that none of them will come out alive unless they surrender to us quickly. They are completely surrounded now. This morning, the number of armored personnel carriers that were destroyed, along with their occupants, is eight. The number of the tanks destroyed is 11."
"Tonight, we will do something unconventional against them. This means: not by the military. We will do something that I believe will become a pretty example for those mercenaries. I would not be giving out a secret when I say that action in the dark against such mercenaries is effective, not through the action of armies. I say that dropping down those mercenaries in a surprise fashion at Saddam Airport without accurate calculations is largely meant for showing things. It's a showy operation. It is a kind of surprise muscle flexing to the world to show it that the shock and awe operation is indeed successful. May they be accursed. Through this operation [shock and awe], they sent a number of their villains and mercenaries to be butchered. Again, and according to my early estimates, unless the remaining part of their soldiers surrender, the chance for their survival is very slim. The surprising thing is that after they threw their soldiers into a place where they are not aware of the real results, the villainous Americans, like Powell and the others, sat in Europe to discuss how to divide Iraq as spoils after the war [laughing]. This means what's post-war. The post-war [Iraq] will be the same current Iraq under the leadership of President Saddam Husain."
"We will pursue them as war criminals. We will work with all the free people in the world, and they are many, who want someone to bell the cat [i.e.; to do a daring deed], and now we are belling the cat, according to the famous [Arabic] saying so as to rid the UN of those villains. After Iraq aborts the invasion that is being carried out by the American and British villains, the USA will no longer be a superpower. Its deterioration will be rapid. I say to those villains who are meeting in Europe, thinking of launching psychological war and brainwashing: wait. Do not be hasty because your disappointment will be huge. You will reap nothing from this aggressive war, which you launched on Iraq, except for disgrace and defeat. Iraq will continue to exist. Its civilization is 10,000 years old. It will not be changed by villains like the US and British villains."
"W. Bush, this man is a war criminal, and we will see
that he is brought to trial"
"I think the British nation has never been faced with a tragedy like this fellow [Blair]."
"The United Nations....[is] a place for prostitution under the feet of
Americans."
"They are sick in their minds. They say they brought 65 tanks into center of city. I say to you this talk is not true. This is part of their sick mind."
"We have destroyed 50 tanks today. That 5-oh tanks" [while holding up his fingers]
"They are superpower of villains. They are superpower of Al Capone."
Americans are "wild donkeys" ['Alog' in Arabic]
"There are no Iraqis disguising themselves"
"I can assure you that those villains will recognize, will discover in appropriate time in the future how stupid they are and how they are pretending things which have never taken place"
"Iraqi fighters in Umm Qasr are giving the hordes of American and British mercenaries the taste of definite death. We have drawn them into a quagmire and they will never get out of it."
"What they say about a breakthrough [in Najaf] is completely an illusion. They are sending their warplanes to fly very low in order to have vibrations on these sacred places . . . they are trying to crack the buildings by flying low over them."
"We have crushed the whole force which dared to venture there. Now they're outside the wall and the heroic Republican Guard is now in control of the whole area. . . . So where are those villainous louts, those mercenaries?''
"Their forces committed suicide by the hundreds.... The battle is very
fierce and God made us victorious. The fighting continues."
"Yesterday, we slaughtered them and we will continue to slaughter them."
"They think we are retarded - they are retarded."
(leaflet drops) "I think this is very laughable for a Superpower to be so cheap to drop inside Iraq such poor things and they are printed in Kuwait''
"...crocodile tears [shed in] .. The gangster Bush's lair..." (refers to Bush and Blair at Camp David calling for the Geneva Conventions to be applied to all POWs)
"We're going to drag the drunken junkie nose of Bush through Iraq's desert, him and his follower dog Blair...There are 26 million Saddams in Iraq"
"We will push those crooks, those mercenaries back into the swamp"
"When we were making the law, when we were writing the literature and the mathematics the grandfathers of Blair and little Bush were scratching around in caves"
"They will come and we will slap them about the head and then kick them on their backsides when they leave"
About Bush: "the leader of the international criminal gang of bastards."
"the insane little dwarf Bush"
About Bush and Rumsfeld: "Those only deserve to be hit with shoes."
"Bush is a very stupid man. The American people are not stupid, they are very clever. I can't understand how such clever people came to elect such a stupid president."
"Who is this dog Franks in Qatar?"
"Whenever we attack, they retreat. When we pound them with missiles and heavy artillery, they retreat even deeper. But when we stopped pounding, they pushed to the airport for propaganda purposes."

Technorati Tags: hee,ESL is a powerful tool,invective fun,vitriol for dummies

Demotivational Poster - Paris Hilton in Jail

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:43:19 Z

Technorati Tags: hee

Friends blogs

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:11:28 Z

Elsewhere

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:18:34 Z

Blog images

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:22:21 -0800

White Christmas

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:07:32 -0800

A White Christmas

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:13:39 -0800

Flood of January 2009

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:59:50 -0800

Cranberry photo session

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:16:36 -0800

Birch Bay sunset

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:05:04 -0700