Waiting for the bus in the winter can get quite cold in Chicago. Thankfully we now have these bus shelters that help block the wind. In fact, when it gets really cold you can try standing by the illuminated ad to warm up.



Although I don't think the lights behind the ad are really warm. Do fluorescents get warm? Not really.

And then when you get really cold, a good mind distraction technique is to pretend whatever is in the ad is real. In this case we have a giant bottle of beer. While I'm standing waiting for the bus, I like to pretend to pick up the bottle of beer. Or try to tip it over. Pop the cap off. Rotate the bottle. Good times.

Taking a break at Tina's Hot Dog Place on Montrose, I had a nativity in my hand freshly purchased for the second round of "Manger in an Alley" photos.

I couldn't resist photographing it on the table next to the ketchup and mustard. That's one of things about this photo series, that I was concerned about. Would my series be interpreted as being too disrepectful? Some people might have a problem with having the nativity on the dumpster. But really. Look at Christ's birth. It's very disturbing. God of the universe born. He doesn't come born to royalty. He's born to poor parents. He's not born in Jerusalem where all the high people are, but in lowly Bethlehem. Essentially Jesus was born in an alley.

So a nativity next to mustard and ketchup? I like to think of that as Christ as reaching out to the everyday person.

Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1-2)

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For now you can see Round 1 and Round 2 of the 2009 Manger in an alley.

The Chicago Tribune and other top content providers are participating in Google's new online reader, the Google Fast Flip. Take a look at http://fastflip.googlelabs.com.

Here's my review:

I was leery as I read bout Fast Flip on Google's blog. But my first impression upon looking through the actual interface I REALLY REALLY like the idea. Why? Because it combines two different ways I personally read my regular websites. Here’s how I view websites:

1) Browser toolbar
I have folders in browser’s toolbar. One for each day of the week. So on Tuesday, I do a “open all in tabs” and it launches all my websites into separate tabs in one window. There might be like 25 websites. I let the websites load and then I simply browse through the websites tab by tab. There is no waiting for stuff to load. I just simply read and close tabs.

2) Google Reader
One thing about using method #1 is that I’m loading the same websites every day. Many of the sites don’t refresh their content every week, so I’m wasting my time closing a tab for a site that doesn’t update. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Google Reader. I’m absolutely convinced that EVERY PERSON who uses the internet to read content should use Google Reader. Seriously. It’s simply the best way to read content online. AND it syncs with the iPhone.
With Google Reader, when I look at an article, it automatically marks it as read, so I don’t have to look at it again. If I want to review the article later, I can either tag it or mark a star on it. I can organize the websites into folders.

Google Reader is just fantastic. I really don’t understand why more people don’t use it.

The only thing that stinks about Google Reader is that since it pulls content via RSS feeds. #1, the site has to have an RSS feed to read it in Google Reader. #2, since it’s an RSS feed, it’s JUST the articles. Which can be good. No distractions. But there’s something about reading an article on the actual website, with the branding. With the comments. With the other elements in a site that might point me to interesting things.

Here comes in Fast Flip.
It’s like Google Reader in a way, because it presents content on an article by article basis. And it allows you to see the article in the website format. It’s kinda like a merging of both my website reading methods. For those reasons, I love the idea.

The question is, would +I+ personally use it?
I don’t know. I love my Reader. I love my folders in my toolbar. The article thing. Is it clunky? Can I customize the websites I want to see? I don’t think I can tell it to put in my brother’s blog. They give preset categories. That I don’t like. I want +MY+ stuff. The Stuff +I’m+ interested in. So in a way, they take away a HUGE reason why I love Google Reader—being able to customize the experience to exactly my liking. What we are left with on Fast Flip is kinda like a 90s/early-00s style portal pages. Here’s a bunch of content. Let me dump all this content on you.

Summary:
I’m torn. I like the idea of merging a Google Reader-esque idea with the original webpage design. I don’t like the lack of customization of what I can view.

(if you cannot view the above video, you can view it on my flickr account, "Talking ferret scoozie stuffed animal plush.")

Sometime during the late 90s, I bought this plush ferret from a grocery store. He has a voice box inside so when you squeeze him he can say nine amazing ferret phrases:

• "hehe-hooo"
• "schoozme"
• "rrrraaawwwwrrrr"
• "woooah... waaa... CHOO"
• "grrrooogrroooo"
• "ehehEH"
• "emmmmmm-MUAH hehe"
• "EH-OH WUKO-WUKO-WUKO-WIKKY-WIKKY-wikky"
• "eeeehhhhWAAAAAAA i wuhwuhWUH"

But now, there is a live animal version of my beloved speaking plush toy.

Roosevelt, originally uploaded by Sweet Pea Cattery.

I wonder if you squeeze him, if he'll make nine different sounds.

For greater impact, instead of saying "!!!" use "EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT"

The "!!!" is way too short. But look at long and impactful spelling it out in words is. Man, that's just HUGE and forces you to take notice. Copywriters and ad writers worldwide, please take notice.

(ok, i just tweeted this and I don't tweet and blog the same things at the same time, but this is so golden, it's worth posting in both places. That's right! The blog posts on spudart.org and the spudart tweets are different. I don't repeat content. So subscribe NOW to the spudart tweets EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT)--with a sprinkle of BOLD BOLD BOLD.

Take a phrase like, "Whoa! Momma mia!" and make it into one word by deleting the spaces. You now have: "Whoamommamia!"

"Monday monday, can't trust that day" goes the song lyrics. But I trust Mondays more than Tuesdays. Tuesdays try to sneak in all sneaky-like. Mondays are pretty up-front with being a Monday. When Monday comes, Monday says, "YO, IT'S MONDAY GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUTTA BED." But Tuesday is a little more sly. Tuesday doesn't even talk.

Every Christmas season, Chicago's greatest hipster crafters get together and sell their ironic, cool, stylish wares. Here's a few reasons why Renegade puts on a great holiday show.

1. Great location
The Pulaski Park Fieldhouse is worth the trip alone. Both the first and second floor is open, allowing you to explore around the building.

2. Lots of vendors
The place was packed with vendors. Three rooms on the first floor. Three rooms on the second floor.

3. Packed with people
Ok, so at first it was a little frustrating having the main room being so crowded, you couldn't look at the vendors' stuff. But the rest of the rooms were a little more light. Actually, maybe it got a little more light on the crowds as I was there. I got there at about 3pm, and left about 5:15pm. So maybe a better time in the future would be to go at like 4pm. But still, it's so much fun when there's a bunch of people there. That's part of the fun seeing who's there and shopping. Seeing people's reactions.

4. Good wares
Normally I don't buy much at shows. I love to shop and I tend to be kinda frugal and shop around. But this year I bought three prints! I couldn't believe it. Normally when I see artwork, I just think, "oh i can make that at home. I'm not gonna bother buying it."

But I just fell in love with Clinton Portis' art prints (I bought all three). The textures and the drawing are taken to another level. I was very happy to only support this artist, and to also have his work to hang up as inspiration for my own work.

Hmmm, overall... I've been going to renegade every year since 2004 (yes! i'm bragging. haha!) and you'll find the typical stuff--screenprinted band posters, felt plush, ironic greeting cards, baby bibs with cartoon characters, etc. Which are all good. I like all those things. But it would be nice to see a little more variety.

However, there was one husband-wife artist team who did some interesting conceptualesque sort of work. Here's a couple neat examples from Sarah Belknap and Joseph Belknap's etsy shop: big forest painting (pattern) and glacier tree magnet. They were selling these mini cinder blocks made from wax. They were calling them Joseph Beuys blocks. And they were selling them for one dollar each! ONE BUCK!

So that's why the Renegade was cool.

A few blocks east of Chicago's hipster neighborhood lies the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. The Renegade Craft Fair holiday show has been held in this wonderful building the past couple years. It's so much fun exploring all the rooms.

Imagine when it was built in 1912-1914, all the people the neighborhood got together and planned how this building was going to house all these community groups and activities. They would say things like, "ok, this really high-peaked room, that's where we'll have the barrel league come together and so they can talk about their barrels." and "oh, this main room with the stage, that's where we'll have our neighborhood trombone contests."

The place is a Chicago landmark! HOORAY! So now it will never get torn down. That makes me so happy. (well, "never" relatively, of course). From the Chicago landmarks page:

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"One of Chicago's most distinctive park buildings, this fieldhouse was designed to resemble a Central- or Eastern-European public hall and is noteworthy for its fine brickwork, half-timbering, and picturesque tower. It exemplifies the early 20th-century effort to create neighborhood parks filled with organized activities and programs for working-class Chicagoans."
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Type an equation into Google's searchbar, and it will do the math for you. Sometimes I like to type in goofy equations like, "111,111,111 x 111,111,111" The result is rather striking.


Does anyone have any cool one-line math equations to put into Google?

Check out this super-cool hi-tech community in a cabin. Leo Laporte talks about:
* Keeping our open internet
* Net neutrality
* Starting your own business
* Bootstrapping
* Niche marketing
* Broadcasting
* Podcasts

If you like ANY of those topics, you'll like this video interview eGuiders did with TWiT's Leo Laporte.
(If you can't see the video player below, go to: http://bit.ly/techcabin




If you liked this video, please tweet this:
I like this super-cool tech community in a cabin http://bit.ly/techcabin RT:@spudart.

Insert person's name into the word insane to call them insane.

spudart + insane = inspudane
matt + insane = inmattane

Dude, you are so inmoosane!

Would you like the ability to include some lightning bolts in your txts? Could your tweets use some extra magnificent flash? I would love to have a lightning bolt character. And you know what? Unicode has a lightning bolt! Here it is:



That's no lightning bolt! That's a confused arrow! What is unicode trying to pull over on us?

(A big thanks to Vera for discovering this. She was the genius who wanted to find a lightning bolt character. And she is the genius for finding it, but discovering that it's a lost arrow. Thank you Vera-the-Genius!)

Online personals have some interesting questions, especially eHarmony. They have 13 questions, and I've been meaning to share some of my responses, cuz there are some thought-provoking questions. I've posted the question What are the THREE things for which you are MOST thankful? Now here's another one:

What are you most passionate about?

Here's my answer:

================
I love to learn. (Reading books, going to museums, checking out new places, reading websites and blogs, playing new sports and games, attending architecture and art lectures. I'm curious. Curious about you. What do you like to learn about? I like picking up new interests and I'd like to learn more about you.)

I love encouraging other people, helping others is a passion.

I love God. All that He gives us is just so amazing.
================

What would your answer be?

My top five favorite tweets I made in October and November 2009 via @spudart:

For one week I'd like each car on CTA trains to play a different genre of music. Just to see if people pick a particular car to sit in.
Sun Nov 29 16:32:40

I open Psalms up to a random page, the first verse I read is "what is the measure of my days" Rather fitting that today is my bday
Fri Nov 20 18:27:15

I want to pay for stuff with peanut M&M's
Mon Nov 16 08:18:04

I'd like to explore the etymology of the words enjoy and appreciate
Thu Oct 15 14:33:24

When I walk down the hallway at work with no shoes on, sometimes I like to pretend I'm walking on a bed of hot coals.
Tue Oct 06 20:39:35

If you like these tweets, read more @spudart on twitter.

Fun crafts! By cool hip people! The DIY Trunk show was held on November 21, 2009 in the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. It was a nice show with good variety from lots of vendors. The location is in a great old multi-roomed building. Although the Renegade Craft Fair has their December show there, and it's much larger, filling up the second floor of rooms. The DIY was just on the first floor. But still, a good show.

The organizers sent out a survey asking people for feedback. The last question was a fun one to fill out. Here's my response:

Please provide any suggestions that you might have to help us make the DIY Trunk Show better:

I like cookies a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Um. Another venue would be nice to differentiate yourself from Renegade.

More monsters. More plants. More candy. More flashy lights. More trunks. Where are the trunks? Booze. Was there booze? Did I miss it? More music. Flowers. Somersaults. Ok. I now i'm getting off path. Somersaults. I mean, really. That's just silly. Somersaults. Sheesh. What we really need is... more cartwheels!

I did really like how you listed the vendor websites on your website. That was cool. I liked being able to browse through and see who was gonna be there. Oh this is spudart of spudart.org, btw. I like to stand by my comments and suggestions. HI!!! :)

Oh and luchador stuff. I would like to see more luchador merchandise. Seriously! I bought a crocheted luchador at Renegade and I love it very much. Luchadors rooooock!

I hope they implement some of my changes. Which ones do you think would be a good idea?