Aaron, one of the masterminds behind FeedRinse, asks that all RSS Reader provide feed-recommendations. While I agree there is value in RSS readers making it easier to add relevant sources, my experience with the recommendation engines like Netflix and Amazon has them batting .30. It’s rare that I purchase or rent anything either of those …
Author Archives: Garrick van Buren
Blogumentary now on Google Video
Just got word that Chuck Olsen put his film Blogumentary all up on Google Video. Congrats Chuck. Chuck and I talked about the film back at First Crack #18 and I reviewed the film way, way, back in First Crack #6.
The Power of 1 Slice of Bread
Every wonder why there aren’t as many open-face sandwiches for sale in your local supermarket. No?…..well, it’s political: “USDA inspects manufacturers of packaged open-face meat or poultry sandwiches (e.g., those with one slice of bread), but FDA inspects manufacturers of packaged closed-face meat or poultry sandwiches (e.g., those with two slices of bread).” – U.S. …
Can I Celebrate New Years on Feb 1?
Like magic, all the crazy stress and pressure I’ve been working through the past 8 weeks evaporated at the stroke of 12 last night. Seriously, magic. I have no other explanation. Then again, I have no explanation for why January was that tough either. Things feel like they’re right back where they should be. Mind …
Relevance not Determined by the Beholder?
“Relevance is determined by influence.” – Norman Mailer That was Mailer’s response to: “Has your writing had an impact?” While Mailer was referring to the larger influence of who controls the past determining what is relevant. The same is true on a much smaller, person-to-person scale. Perhaps relevance is like identity – defined by everyone …
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Home Roasting Hack Method #2
“BREAD MACHINES AND HEAT GUNS WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO ROAST COFFEE” There are three problems I’ve run into since roasting with the Poppery Small batch sizes (a maximum of 1/2 cup at a time) Inconsistent roast times (the Poppery continually gets hotter – shorting roasts, burning beans) The ambient temperature needs to be warm. So, …
First Crack 94. Unicorporated #4 – Garrick’s Car History
Inspired by my son’s interest in cars, I share some stories from my car history. Listen to Garrick’s Car History [16 min].
Spanking is Striking
There, I said it. Spanking a child is child abuse. There, I said it again. For three reasons: If same action anywhere else on the body would be considered abuse – it’s abuse. It shows children that bigger, stronger people have the right to hurt smaller people. So, big brothers think it’s OK to strike …
New Work Playlist – Thanks to Tangerine
Since discovering Tangerine a couple months back, I’ve been tweaking the BPM-based playlist to find the ideal collection of tunes that keeps me working without calling too much attention to themselves. Here’s the iTunes Smart Playlist that’s been working for me for 2 weeks: BPM – is in the range – 90 to 110 My …
Where Do You Want People Talking About You?
One of the complaints I continually hear about companies supporting forums, comments, reviews under their own domain is that their customers will say something “bad”. The reality is, customers find places to have these conversations – with our without formal support. Case in point: KottkeKomments.com. Jason Kottke doesn’t have comments on his blog, so a …
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