Hyperbolic Mollusk

The world wants to know!

2008-03-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

How do you feel about the pictures on your camera phone?

Test

2008-01-11T16:02:00.001-08:00

testing

I made this.

2006-12-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

I made this., originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Lit up

2006-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

Lit up, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Snow!

2006-11-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

Snow!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Pr0tland

2006-11-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

Pr0tland, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Reach in

2006-11-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

Reach in, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Cup

2006-10-31T08:38:00.000-08:00

Cup, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Lake of fire

2006-10-30T10:04:00.000-08:00

Lake of fire, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Spooky

2006-10-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Spooky, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Confusing?

2006-10-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Confusing?, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Good framing

2006-10-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Good framing, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

This was actually very pretty

2006-10-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

This was actually very pretty, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Homerun#1

2006-10-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Homerun#1, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Claminal?

2006-10-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Claminal?, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Japanimals?

2006-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Japanimals?, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Morning fog

2006-09-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Morning fog, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Real motorcycles

2006-08-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Real motorcycles, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Grow!

2006-08-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

Grow!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Watching grass grow

2006-08-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Watching grass grow, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

"Usable"

2006-08-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

"Usable", originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Truckin'

2006-07-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

Truckin', originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Wit

2006-07-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Wit, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Giveaway

2006-07-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Giveaway, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Lee @ Lee's Keys

2006-06-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Lee @ Lee's Keys, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Pretty latte

2006-06-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Pretty latte, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Seattle Yacht Club

2006-06-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

Seattle Yacht Club, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Seattle Center

2006-06-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Seattle Center, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Paws pause

2006-06-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Paws pause, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Bright Up Your Home

2006-06-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Bright Up Your Home, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

There was an over abundance of bad grammar today. This is just one example.

You again!

2006-05-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

You again!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

2006-05-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Gridlock

2006-05-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Gridlock, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

More mollusks!

2006-05-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

More mollusks!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Mollusks everywhere!

2006-04-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Mollusks everywhere!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Emissions

2006-04-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Emissions, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Step into my office

2006-04-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

This photo from inetmer has triggered an urge to give my cube a red door. I will be the Les Nessman of the Dot-Com Era!

This was in my file cabinet

2006-04-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

This was in my file cabinet, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Unique selling proposition

2006-03-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

Unique selling proposition, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

It's hard to make out the sign...that bottom portion says "Great Wine Selection". What the huh?

Ride the Tidepool

2006-03-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

Ride the Tidepool, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Aurora Bridge

2006-03-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

Aurora Bridge, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Hi, I am a mess.

2006-03-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hi, I am a mess., originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Interview Overview

2006-03-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

I think the first round went well. Met with three people...two of which were on the UX team. One grilled me with some unexpected questions, but then said it was a good interview when we were finished. He gushed about the place and their capabilities and said they were better at communicating within the organization than any place he,s worked (incl contracts for Boeing).

I think it well and that I did a decent job of communicating how my skills would fit in. We'll see how well by the end of next week. That's when they plan to invite the top two candidates back for a second round.

We'll see what happens.

Interview...wish me luck

2006-03-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

Interview...wish me luck, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

What kind of "coffee" is this?

2006-03-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

What kind of "coffee" is this?, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Blur

2006-03-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Blur, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Hope

2006-03-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hope, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Patterns

2006-03-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

Patterns, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

I eat goose poop

2006-03-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

I eat goose poop, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

My city

2006-03-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

My city, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

You've probably seen this...

2006-03-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

But the AP's stupid IE only, Windows Media only video set up was blocking me out. YouTube to the rescue...

Oh look, he knew. Shocker.

Gravel Tongue

2006-03-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Gravel Tongue, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Yes, it's finally time...

2006-02-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's finally time..., originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

022806_09421.jpg

2006-02-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

022806_09421.jpg, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Frosty the Snowcar

2006-02-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

Frosty the Snowcar, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Dirty dog

2006-02-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

Dirty dog, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

For Matthew

2006-02-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

Boldly loaf as no man has loafed before...

Buy It Now?

2006-01-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should try selling myself to the highest bidder!

~via MIT Advertising Lab

Feedback

2006-01-17T16:29:00.000-08:00

I started a blog for my personal site that attempts to deal more explicitly with the skills and concepts that relate to my career path. You can check it out here.

I've been much more dilligent about posting and try to add something daily, something that this here blog has never known. I'd be interested in any feedback people might have. The site is a companion to my personal web site and is generally aimed at potential employers. My fear is that someone coming to the site will see the content as a bland recycling of other blog content instead of provocative and insightful (cough) commentary on technology issues. Any thoughts you might have will help me refine my approach.

/cryforhelp

It Was By Accident

2006-01-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

When I moved to Seattle, I didn't know that the coffee place down the street was famous. I just knew that the people who worked there seemed nice and that they served up some mighty fine coffee. Over time, I saw a more complete picture. The people at Hines had a relationship with the community. They knew their customers. And trusted them. If you didn't have cash for your latte, they knew they could collect the next time you came around.

At various times I received free espresso shots, free drinks, and on two occasions, free pounds of coffee.

They had free WiFi. Crazy art on the walls. Dilapidated furniture.

They had baristas who attended coffee conferences in Guatemala. They competed in competitions. And they won.

They patiently, and without pretention, shared their knowledge with people who expressed an interest knowing more.

When Eastlake rallied the community (for the organization of a street fair, a discussion of crime in the neighborhood or some other local concern), the people met at Hines.

They introduced me to cardamum cake, a dessert for which I have still not found a substitute.

Hines was shuttered last fall. The decaying building that housed them was set to be demolished and turned into a mixed use structure with condos and street level commercial space. There were whispered tales of its reemergence (as a coffee cart, as a new spot in Belltown, at a new location in Eastlake...) but it seems there will be no such thing. It has been reported that their roaster has been sold and that Hines will likely reemerge in Vancouver.

I envy the folks in the neighborhood where they set up shop again. That place was special.

Hi

2006-01-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

It really has been too long...

For Emma

2006-01-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Trying to go legit

2005-12-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

Just after graduation, the gf gave me a battery of grown-up job-seeker accessories. There was a top notch geek pen, a leather bound legal pad, and a business card holder, all of which were intended to outfit me for the coming job search. She even printed out some business cards for me because she is sweet and thoughtful like that.

Now, this is all being integrated into a larger professional transformation. The plan is to have my sadly neglected web site and a new professionally oriented blog integrated into a seamless whole. As part of that effort, I ordered some blog cards that I can use as a promotional tool while networking, etc. The image above is on the front while my personal information appears on the back in white type on a red background.

They're beautiful!

I've admired blog cards, and their creator's newer work, for a long time but have never had a practical use for them. Now, they can be a promotional tool that illustrates my professional goals, advertises my capabilities, and communicates these things in an attention-getting and unexpected way. At least, that's what I say in the marketing pitch I keep running through my head.

That was the easy part though. The real work will be in getting a new site up and running. The bigger challenge will be finding people to give the cards to. I've bought all the tools I could need...but this application won't run itself.

It's easy to mistake purchases for progress. I need to put the hours in.

De-animated

2005-12-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

~via Exploding Aardvark which was revealed to me by Substitute

My Nemesis

2005-12-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

My Nemesis, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Invite

2005-12-12T23:59:00.000-08:00

Secret Chiefs 3
w/ Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

01/07/2006
Neumos
Seattle, WA

$13 ADV
$15 DOS
8PM

More park pics...

2005-12-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

More park pics..., originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Fitting

2005-12-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

Fitting, originally uploaded by Manuel W..

Buffoonery captures one of the reasons why I love Seattle...

Triceratops!

2005-11-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

Triceratops!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Greta

2005-11-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

Greta, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Bark park

2005-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Bark park, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Crazy dog!

2005-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Crazy dog!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Proofread!

2005-10-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Proofread!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Frank Black?

2005-10-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Frank Black?, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Aphorism

2005-10-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

"Development" is a license to never plan and never ship.

No you can't have enough resources

2005-10-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Now go build it.

Sounds like a major media company I keep reading about.

Douglas Rushkoff Apes Peter Drucker

2005-10-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Effectiveness vs Efficiency...

"…corporations are not reaping huge and ever-increasing profits. They are compensating for a lack of innovation by creating new efficiencies. But every process they throw offshore is another competency removed from their own arsenal. They become management companies, capable of nothing. Then they lose their ‘competitive’ advantage, as well.”

Aphorisms

2005-10-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

I want that. What is it?

Dark City

2005-10-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Featureless, opaque, impenetrable sphere.

Aphorism

2005-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

"For every human problem, there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong."
-H.L. Mencken

User Goals

2005-10-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Effective planning marshals appropriate technology to accomplish user goals. (emphasis added)

Ship early, ship often?

2005-10-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Bug, not a feature! It's costly and destructive.

Aphorism

2005-10-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

"The only way to assess the quality of another person is to spend time with them."

Death March

2005-10-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it's interesting that the metaphor of the death march as a software development process describes a painful chain of events...it parallels the idea of a poorly planned city and the pain that it induces for the citizens who have to wrestle with it every day.

Live Blogging Alan Cooper

2005-10-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Puget Sound SIGCHI Chapter
+
Alan Cooper
+
Kane Hall and invisible internet
=
This post. More substantive insight may, or may not follow.

Marine

2005-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Marine, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Spirits

2005-10-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Spirits, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

I am a lighthouse

2005-10-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

I am a lighthouse, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Whatever happened to sky?

2005-10-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to sky?, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

2005-10-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Get Your Tentacles Off The Table

2005-10-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks substitute!

Verdict: Sweet!

2005-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

I am code retarded so the video pop up link maker is pretty awesome for me. I have some school projects that I could use this for as well.

From unmediated:

What does it do?

This is a little wizard that writes the code for you to generate pop-up windows with embedded videos. Paste in your video URL, give it a title, and paste an image URL if you'd like. Then copy and paste the
generated code into your blog entry -- Shazzam!

The code generated will launch a small pop up window with your video embedded. Its still a little experimental, but basically works with most video types that play using Quicktime or Windows Media plugins.

Works as advertised. Yay the internet!

Video Pop Up Link Maker Test

2005-10-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

click here to download

Evening Ferry

2005-09-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Evening Ferry, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Eastern OR is worse!

2005-09-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Eastern OR is worse!, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

from the phone

2005-09-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is from the phone because the wireless internet doesn't know about macs. I can join the network and the network system pref says I'm connected, yet there is nothing. Maybe the hotels are running some kind of wireless voodoo to keep people from poaching their signal. They might as well try to keep people from accessing the light in their parking lot if that's the case. Anyway, if you're a networking genius and have some idea of what's happening, email me @ jspeights (at) mac (dot) com.

In trip news, we've made it to Red Lodge and will hit the scenic byway/Yellowstone tomorrow. Then we will finally stay in one spot for a while. Had some thunderstorms today. I hope summer comes back before we camp.

I'm pretty lucky to have a gf that 1) will do most of the navigating 2) roll with all the last minute changes in direction and 3) not complain about my snoring.

Parts of the scenic byway are closed due to mudslides in the spring. The lobby in our hotel (I know, we're supposed to be camping) had some newspaper clippings that showed the damage. It was pretty striking to see how torn up it got and would be worth a look. I'm sure there are some posted somewhere. I would link you now but...

More later.

Heidi Is Bonkers

2005-09-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

Long hours in the car mean she has to make the most of a hotel room...

More crappy road trip cellphone pics are forthcoming.

LookatmeI'mablogger!

Log Jam Near Glacier

2005-08-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

Log Jam Near Glacier, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

Eastern WA Sucks

2005-08-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Eastern WA Sucks, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.

I-90

2005-08-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I-90, originally uploaded by The Mollusk.