Year: 2008

Update. That’s a weird word when you look at it. Up. Date. It’s like a day that’s up in the air. Even weirder, according to etymonline.com the word “update” has only been around since 1948. Oooooh, I’m so curious what…

You can post super cool buttons to your profile on Facebook using the Pieces of Flair application. It’s fun, because the buttons are really glossy looking, and they get posted to this cork-looking bulletin board. Here’s what my bulletin board…

A schoolyard classic. Someone calls you a dork. Standard schoolyard protocol is to respond with, “yeah, i know i’m a D.O.R.K.: Dynamite Out of sight Radical Kid!” Now how is it that the internet does not have this phrase anywhere…

Yesterday I listed a bunch of quotes by me. That was a little… self-indulgent. Today I want to list some quotes that are much more important. Here are some verses that I’ve researched in the past year: A joyful heart…

Please visit the new quotes page with more quotes. spudart.org/quotes Everyone should have their own collection of insightful quotes they have said. Thanks to the age of the internet, I’m able to go back to previous blog posts and comments…

Transform a co-worker’s desk into a themed paradise! Find an image online. Print out 200 copies. Tape them all over your co-worker’s desk. Here’s a couple pranks I’ve done while in the Tribune Tower. To read the entire story for…

Gamasutra Podcast on GDC Radio by Tom Pubcast from The Brit and Yankee by Phil Clark and Lingo “I’m USBrit, and my co-host Lingo, are producing a magazine-style pubcast, creating a ‘virtual’ pub called The Brit and Yankee. At present,…

Can you believe that there is an actual character that you can type that is a question mark and exclamation point all mashed up into one‽ And can you believe that this character was invented in 1962‽ Are we allowed…

Next time something happens that makes you really happy, copy the "Dance of Joy" lyrics, and paste them into your message.

Six stolen bases is the most in one game done by Otis Nixon (1991-06-16) and Eric Young (1996-06-30). Baseball-reference has a great tool called the Play Index where you can look up all sorts of crazy stats. While watching the…

Is anybody else having bad allergies today? If so, what are you allergic to? I’m trying to figure out what I’m allergic to. Weather.com has some nice allergy maps. Tree Pollen Grass Pollen Ragweed Pollen Mold Spores I think I’m…

There’s gotta be some better ideas for checks out there. You can make your own custom checks by uploading a photo to Uniquechecks.com (one box is $19.95). (check out the image below for some brainstorm thoughts on cool check ideas.…

Image courtesy from mouse via creative commons license Hi there, leht’s puht the lehtter h hin hevery wohrd. The lehtter h rohcks. Silehnt in nahture, buht alwahys there.

Image courtesy Chotda via creative commons Jell-O is such a great dessert, but yet I cannot think of any restaurants that have Jell-O on their menu. Now bars have jello shots, but i’m thinking of the wonderful jello masterpieces that…

Every week Lauri Apple features an artist on Gapers Block. She interviewed me and I’m the feature for this week. Check it out at: http://gapersblock.com/ac/2008/07/07/an-interview-with-matt-maldre.

New feature on spudart.org Today starts a new feature on spudart.org called “New Art Monday.” Once a week I will feature what I’ve been working on. Every monday you’ll see a new piece of art or how a particular series…

About Parking Meter Talk Parking meters around the city have little word bubbles attached to show what they would say if they could talk. Their message is about the future. Parking meters are all about time and letting you know…

Despite never using the left thumb to type, my left hand has to do the heavy lifting when it comes to the number of letters it’s responsible for. Left hand is responsible for 15 letters: qwertasdfgzxcvb Right hand takes care…

About Call to God I write a prayer on a sticky note and place it on a public pay phone. By placing the sticky note on a phone, I hope to make the connection to the viewer that saying a…

I’ve started a new art series where I write a prayer on a sticky note and place it on a public pay phone. Read more about it in the art section of spudart.org at: https://www.spudart.org/blog/call-god-prayers-sticky-notes-left-public-pay-phones/

For those who type with both of your hands set in the “proper” position on the keyboard, do you use your right thumb or your left thumb to hit the space bar? I always use my right thumb. My poor…

Image courtesy feuilllu via creative commons The South Pole has reached negative 90 degrees fourteen times so far this year. The lowest being ‚-95 on June 14 and June 23. Can they break negative 100? Here’s the temperatures for June:…

When you want to separate a bunch of information on one line, what do you use? Let us look at some options. The pipe Your Name | Fancypants Title | Acme Widgets Classic, although it’s essential to use two spaces…

When you put a bunch of division symbols next to each other, they look like a stitched line. The horziontal lines are the seam. The dots are the holes where the thread goes through. I was playing with my email…

photo courtesy Library of Congress What if this was the regular road uniform for the 2008 Cubs? Goodbye red, white, and blue. Welcome pure charcoal gray.

(image from benandclare) (image from neowneow) Who knew that Springfield, Illinois had such a cool building? I like how the dome is stretched taller. And that silver color. Very cool. (I encountered this discovery from a photo on a chicagoist…

whoat definition: Interjection. (used to express surprise or confusion. a combination between “whoa” and “what”). example: as in, “Whoat! You must be kidding!”

Every Tuesday after sunset in 2008 from July 15 to August 22, Chicago will show free movies on a 50-foot by 34-foot screen in Chicago’s downtown Grant Park at 100 S. Lake Shore Drive. (It’s south of Millennium Park, and…

Rock-n-cherry-rocky-road definition: Interjection/Slang. (used to express delight or joy). example: as in, “Rock-n-cherry-rocky-road! That bicycle is incredible!” first usage: Andertoons Cartoon Blog: “Parts of the Tribune Tower remind me of this cube. Too bad our actual cubes don’t look like…

You know when someone is past the Gen Y or Gen X generation when they wear a braided belt. Those things died out in the 90s. Let them be buried circa 1995. Y’know those braided belts that people wear on…

Barack Obama (democrat) A boar am back John McCain (republican) Jam Inch Con Ralph Nader (independent) Harder Plan Chuck Baldwin (constitution) Wild Cab Chunk Bob Barr (libertarian) Barb Orb ———————————————— Dropped out: Ron Paul (republican) Our Plan Hillary Clinton (democrat)…