From the beginning of joining each one I frequent, I’ve pretty much stuck to how I’ve separated them into what role they play in my life. Here is a break down of the big four that I belong to and my defined management of their purpose in my life.

Twitter

This is my uncensored place to say whatever the fuck I want, when I want and without restraint. For those times where I feel I need to censor myself on Twitter, I get very uncomfortable. I don’t like co-workers following me because I like to post a rant here and there. I block spammers pretty quick and very regularly. With extremely rare exceptions, I don’t like to either follow or be followed by family. In the last year or two, I’ve mostly stayed away from political discussions, with maybe a few tweets that surround a political news story or event, but then it’s back to what I see, what I’m thinking and finding something cool to Twitpic. Discussions with others, sharing stories, funny observations and made up funny phrases under 140 characters. Twitter is most likely the best place to find me, but it’s also the place that I don’t want everyone finding me at. Make sense? It’s nothing personal… well, it is… but just because I want to be open and free without worry or concern.

Foursquare

Checking in to places that I’ve been to is fun. I enjoy seeing how many times I visit the grocery store, Starbucks and Del Taco and collecting stamps for special days or events. And maybe even becoming mayor of an oft visited venue. Some say that I’m opening myself up to anyone online finding me and doing really bad things to me or my belongings. And that’s where I draw the line of where I WON’T check into. Two places… work and home. I omit those places for several reasons, the biggest of which is that I don’t need people knowing when I go home or when I’m at work. Yes, some of my tweets say where I’m at, but it’s vague and nothing specific. Geo-tagging where I work and live goes too far for me when spending time in the online world. Others do it and that’s their thing. Just not mine.

MySpace

More recently known as My [______], I rarely log on to that big, giant empty space these days. Back in the day, it was the disorganized place on the web where you could share your thoughts, add a friend and hear some music from your favorite band. Today, the tech blogs are wondering who will purchase this aging social network and for how many pennies on the dollar it will trade ownership to. Simply put, it’s not on my radar anymore.

Facebook

Mostly family, friends, people I attended school with, bloggers I’ve conversed with and the rare co-worker that I’ve become friends with. Everyone else, I don’t add. If I did, it’s because… um… that I found… aw, fuck.. I don’t know why I added them. Maybe it was a impulse thing I did that day I clicked ok. OK!

There’s many that I am friends with on Facebook that I rarely share common interests with anymore. Most of are those who I used to share a common set of religious beliefs with. I like to keep them as friends because, regardless of what I don’t believe in anymore, I still consider them friends that I grew up with or shared some great times with in life. Fan pages that I used to like on My [______] are now liked on Facebook. My status messages are honest, but sanitized – meaning, I don’t swear in them past damn or hell. I also don’t play any Ville games and block just about any of my friends’ statuses about missing cows and sheep. Zynga has enough money and I have other games that I play offline that are more entertaining to me.

LinkedIn

This network is pretty much kept to those people that I directly worked with at one of the companies I’ve been employed by or [in very rare circumstances] someone who I feel could be a good reference for me that I’ve not directly worked with. I won’t even add some people that work at my site due to the fact that I’ve not worked directly with them and most likely only fixed their printer or removed a virus from their computer. Not to sound high and mighty, but I don’t define my LinkedIn colleagues as each and every person that was employed by the companies I’ve worked for. Pretty much think of those that I would consider references that really know what work I’ve done.

Google Buzz

I check this each day, mostly for news articles that I’ve missed from other sites. I find a few pretty regular people here that post some informative and entertaining posts. It’s not as Buzzed as other social networks, but it’s a nice place to visit daily.

GetGlue

The media lovers social hangout. I like music, movies, books, artists, musicians, authors, directors, TV shows… it’s a fun site that I’ve enjoyed sharing likes and a few dislikes with. When I watch a TV show, I check in. When I’m listening to a new album, I write a quick review. All around fun and not that intrusive in the social ether.

The “Unfollow” Factor

Specifically to Twitter and Facebook, I really don’t go out of my way to check nor do I care who unfollows me. On occasion, I will see my followers list go down by a person or two and I admit to being curious who it was, but overall, I really don’t care. It’s that person that doesn’t want to follow me anymore and for whatever reason and I’m cool with that. I’m also not of the mindset that I need to follow back someone that does follow me. Maybe they like what I’m saying, but I don’t have much interest in what they have to say. That may sound like a calloused thing to say, but it’s not me trying to be mean.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Any of my rules make sense? Do you have similar preferences? Tell me… tell me.. tell me.

I’ve always been fond of watches. Before there were digital clocks or computers or cell phones, we all wore watches to tell time when we were out and about. I had a few dress watches, a Mickey Mouse watch (when I was in my pre-teen years) and I’m sure a couple I found inside a cereal box) and I wore them proudly.

Fast forward to the mid 80′s [or should that be rewind?] I was shopping at Robinson’s one day [before it was Robinson's/May and way before it got swallowed up by Macy's] and saw their watch counter. There were these really cool looking plastic watches that stood out from the rest. Bright colors and cool designs, they caught my eye. I had to have one.

The Chrono Grand Prix from 1992 (left – battery is dead) and the Speedweek from 1988

The photo above are two that I’ve had for at least 20 years. The blue banded one on the right is one of the first ones I got. I had a few others before, but both are in storage as they either quit working or had enough of the plastic break off that they become unwearable.

The Migraine from 1998 (gifted to me) on the left and the Nrgtik model I bought back in 2001

I really loved collecting these, although there was a limit that I placed on myself, otherwise, my collection would be much larger.

The other day on Twitter, Becky mentioned a Swatch she had and this sparked my interest to get these out of my nightstand drawer.

Swatch Guards (the second generation) and a watch band changer tool

To protect the face of the Swatch, they came out with Swatch Guards. The first was a rubber strap that barely covered the face. I don’t any of those left as they always seemed to break and catch on the hair on my wrist. Pictured above is the guard that offered better coverage of keeping scratches off the face.

It’s been years since I bought a Swatch. There used to be a store here in Salt Lake City, but it’s been gone for many years now. Seeing how my interest has been reignited, there may be another purchase here in the near future.

Here’s a list of the retired Swatches I have, but not pictured here: (clicking on each one opens a new page that shows a picture)

• Yamaha Racer
• Nautilus
• Breakdance

Who had a Swatch back in the day? Do you still wear one? Do you still collect?

Check out Squiggly Swatch Watches online. You can search by year, model, color, type and style [which is how I found all of the names above]

This is one post that Sybil Law will enjoy.

Foo Fighters are one of my favorite bands. In fact, I think I like them better than Nirvana. Now don’t go get all “you blasphemous fucker!” on me. I liked Nirvana, but the two bands don’t compare on the straight forward rocking rule. Dave Grohl is such a versatile musician, sticking his talented hand into just about anything and making it cool [even Them Crooked Vultures became cool thanks to Grohl]

Grohl’s Heroes

Grohl from the White House

One of the most recent bouts of coolness was when Dave Grohl played with Sir Paul McCartney’s band at the White House, in front of President Obama and his family – and many other artists. Dave performed “Band On The Run” and killed it. Such a powerful performance. See Dave Rock!

Working On A New Album?

Taylor on the skins

Over the last few weeks over on their Twitter account, the Foos have been posting all sorts of photos, showing them in various stages in the studio. So cool to see these guys in action, and using the social interwebs to show us fans what they are working on.

“Hey Twitter people… it’s the gruesome twosome”

So it seems that there’s some new music coming out next year. Can’t wait to hear it.

New Foos Tunes?

If you are a fan, you know what I’m taking about. If not, go listen to any of their albums. You won’t regret it.

I’m sure that’s been a question on everyone’s mind all summer – mine included.

I won’t be boring you with the details of my never-ending distractions, various forms of bullshit I deal with on a regular basis, a short summer [it was shorter than normal this year] and just general time wasting. Nope. Just a simple admission that I’ve been a Scooter Sunday slacker.

Until now.

Scooter Sunday Season 3 Episode 01 is up now.

um.. ok. *nudge, nudge* um… Marty…. where the hell is it? There’s no video below. Is this a joke?

Nope. No joke. Scooter Sunday has a new home.

Original image found here

Say What????

Yes, Scooter Sunday has moved to it’s new home at scootersunday.com. Stick with me while I go over the changes.

The New Site

Below is a screen grab of the new scootersunday.com site.

Going directly to the scootersunday.com site brings up the main viewing part of the site. This allows you to watch episodes and then rate them. Then when you are done, you can click into the actual post to leave a comment. The latest episode is always going to be shown when you first open the site. Below is a legend with number points that are referenced from the screen shot above.

1. This is the play button, similar to how the videos worked here on Banal Leakage. Press play to watch the latest episode
2. This is the download progress bar. To best experience the video without buffering interruptions, let it fill up all the way before playing
3. This is a new feature. You can rate the video after watching it. Based on 5 stars, where 5 is excellent and 1 (or none) is poor. I plan on watching the stats on all of the episodes.
4. Clicking here will take you into the actual blog post to leave a comment.
5. From the main window of the site, you have the option of going to different episodes without actually going to a specific post link/URL. Nice to go through and re-watch those favorite episodes.

Pretty cool, huh? But wait, there’s more.

The sidebar has three main areas which are self-explanatory, but more detailed below

1. Click on one of the categories to show all of the posts associated. Notices, which will be those rare posts that do not contain videos and then a category for each season, currently with Seasons 2 and 3.
2. This is a pull-down list that allows you to go to a specific month to view episodes.
3. Along with this new site, there is an associated Twitter account for Scooter Sunday. Follow this account for tweets on when new episodes are available. And as it gets more followers, there will be contests and other cool and fun tidbits posted.

Ok… almost done. Just a few more items of business here.

Work In Progress

While the majority of the site is up, there are still many changes I want to make. Logos, some formatting, all of my Season 1 Scooter Sunday videos and more. So feel free to watch any of the currently uploaded episodes, rate them and leave comments. All of those things won’t change. But cosmetically, things will change over time.

Notification of New Episodes

For those of you that only want to check this blog but like to watch Scooter Sunday videos, I won’t leave you out in the cold. I will put up a post when a new episode is available, with a link to scootersunday.com that will redirect you to there. Comments will be closed on these notification posts, as to encourage you to leave a comment over on scootersunday.com [cause I'm sneaky like that]

Questions

Any questions, rants, concerns, suggestions… leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to have a satisfying response.

It’s now been over five months since I bought my iPad and started integrating it into my daily life.

To some, it’s just a giant iPod touch. To others, it’s a limited device that can’t view Flash websites. To me, it’s been a really cool device that’s not only fun to use, but has changed some of my productivity, how I view media, a solid and fast device to check email and another option to tweet.

I bought the 16gb WiFi model on the first day – April 3, 2010. Since the official unveiling in January 2010, I thought of this device as something that could feasibly replace a netbook I don’t use because it’s too slow, runs Windows and didn’t fulfill the promise of me using it to write. My MacBook Pro has always been used more often for writing. And while I am still working on a workable solution using the iPad for writing, I’ve been able to use it for more than I had originally intended, given the many apps that are now available for the device.

Here’s a summary, with screen shots, of the apps I use on my iPad.

BlogPress

BlogPress

Thanks to a Twitter mention from Kim, I found an app that I can actually work on blog posts while on the iPad. I still do the final post from my laptop, but I can now do a majority of the writing from my iPad. The WordPress official app is pure crap and added more frustration to my post creations. So I deleted it and now use BlogPress. Plus, this app also supports more than just WordPress, like Google’s Blogger, which helps for my other blog that I rarely post on. And at a cost of $2.99, it’s priced just right for all of it’s features.

Echofon

Echofon

This is my main Twitter app for my Mac, iPhone and now iPad. I’ve tried all of the other apps and found that Echofon really has everything that I need. My favorite feature is typing a Twitter username and having it pop up with a list that matches, which I can easily pick from. Very nice for adding multiple recipients in the same tweet. Plus, the same app supports both iPhone and iPad, eliminating the need to maintain more than one app for both iOS devices. Worth the $4.99 without question.

Evernote

Evernote

I keep lots of notes, but there was never a solution that synced my notes between my Palm Pre, the Mac, the iPhone and the iPad. Until I found Evernote. While most of my notes are still kept on my laptop (and synced to my Palm Pre), all of the main notes I need to see each day have been moved to Evernote. In addition to basic text notes, it has a simple list with checkbox format that allows me to keep my LEGO minifig collection in check. And for free, you get 40mb of data per month, which is way more than I’ll ever need for a long time. Highly recommended even if you don’t use an iPad.

GoodReader

GoodReader

Simply put, this is the best app for viewing PDF files on the iPad. I’ve not pushed all of my PDF files over to it just yet, but as I need a document, it’s just a simply sync from iTunes to have it on my iPad. There’s support for Dropbox and Google Docs and other remote file storage systems. And for 99 cents, it’s feature set exceeds the cost the of the app.

Apple Mail

Apple Mail

Built in to the iPad, this app is similar to the one found on all Macs. I’m able to keep on top of my personal email (not including my Gmail) and reply as needed. Each morning, I check my email from the iPad, then leaving messages that need more attention to my laptop for later. This has helped reduce how much time I spend managing my email on my laptop.

Reeder

Reeder

This is a dedicated Google Reader app, which is my main feed reader for all of the blogs I read. I’m able to read and comment on a regular basis and it’s easy to mark all as read [not that I would do that ] and mark as unread for those posts I want to read later on my laptop. The interface is easy to use, it’s fast and I’ve never had any issues getting around the 120 or so blogs that I am subscribed to. The iPad app is $4.99 and for what it has done to help me read blogs, it’s worth every penny.

Some Adjustments

For the most part, the iPad is awesome. But there have been some adjustments. Typing on the on-screen keyboard produces lots of errors. I’ve been able to eliminate many of the errors over the last 5 months, but still have some frustration trying to type. My next step is to hook up a physical keyboard for dedicated writing, which will help a lot. Also, any web page with Flash doesn’t display, but that’s not been that big of an adjustment. I simply take note of the link and load it up on my laptop later. Finding Wifi access points have gotten better, but still, there’s a good number of apps that I use that need an internet connection.

Overall

So is it worth the $500 I spent? Yes, without hesitation. I’ve been very happy with how well this device has changed how I access the daily data I use. Plus, the ability to watch video via Netflix and Hulu, it’s helped me catch up on TV shows I hardly watch anymore.

So do you have an iPad? If so, how do you use it? What apps do you have installed?

I made a bold decision tonight, while sitting at the bar, eating a steak and drinking gin & tonics.

It all started with a tweet, then a direct tweet. And another. Then another. Then I went back to finishing my steak and discussing tech stuff with my friend Tim.

After ignoring Tim to tweet a reply, trying to multitask and do more things at once, and having my focus so focused on that reply instead of the person-to-person discussion I was having, I decided that I can no longer tweet about politics.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy conversing about politics. Quite the contrary. I like it. I try to keep an open mind and learn, admitting when I’m wrong [most of the time] and engaging in a mostly healthy discourse of differences.

But my concern is this: I don’t want to know people by what political party they side with. And on the same token, I would like to know people by other things that are not related to anything political. For example, it would be a shame that people knew me for being a bleeding liberal than someone who made funny scooter videos and posting clever tweets.

So with that, I am signing off replying to and posting anything political. I will still follow political figures like Barack Obama and Al Gore and I’ll still laugh and pause at some of the tongue-in-cheek and politically-geared tweets I read.

Because I’ve had an issue before and I don’t care for that to happen again.

At the same time, I should be enjoying a real person-to-person conversation than worried about a discussion that will only prove two wrongs don’t make a right.

Did Chris actually read it? I seriously doubt it, but at this point who cares.

Chris is getting the band back together….

Soundgarden Is Back

Yep, it’s official. Mr. Cornell tweeted the following at midnight on January 1st, 2010:

And there’s a new site, with the tag line: The 12 Year Break is Over and School is Back in Session.

Best news of the new year. Now we wait for dates and put all of the Soundgarden on the iPods.

New Baby

“Hey… I’m hungry… and that steak mom had the other day has already come and gone!”

To those of you that follow me on Twitter and Facebook will know that we recently [yesterday] welcomed a new addition to our “extended family” this week. River Brandt Evans, the son of Justin Evans and Betty Brandt came in at 10 pounds, 1 oz… A BIG BOY!

To those of you that assumed it was my child, well… I can forgive your assumed connection, given my excitement in the Twitter and Facebook updates I provided. I now live through other people’s children, which means I can either visit them often or send them home with their parent(s). My daughter is my only child, unless I find myself in Tony Randall mode at the age of 80 and still have some good swimmers left in me…. nope.. NOPE. Not going to happen.

Wendover

Wendover Will Welcomes you to spend all your money
- Lifted from Flickr user BentGuy [who lifted it from someone else]

Now that the baby has arrived, we are heading to Wendover this coming weekend… more specifically, West Wendover, NV.

As the above linked Wiki page mentions, Wendover is split into two towns – a Utah side and a Nevada side. On the Utah side, you have 3 gas stations, a few motels and an almost non-existent economy. The Nevada side has 5 casinos, several drinking establishments, a concert hall, a couple of strip clubs and an established flow of money into their economy. Most of that money is coming from Utah residents. It’s about a two-hour drive from Salt Lake, passing by the Bonneville Salt Flats. If you don’t want to drive, there’s a couple of charter bus lines that charge $15 for a round trip ride, netting you a free dinner buffet and $5 cash back. Sweet!

We go about twice a year, normally on a day where we can use our free room coupon at the Wendover Nugget, which is only good on Sunday – Thursday nights [the weekends are premium rates]. Free room means no extra money spent on lodging and a place to stumble walk to if we get tired. My wife and I do a bit of gambling, but we are small timers compared to some that drop hundreds in one night. I like to find a penny or nickel slot machine and get free drinks all night, while my wife likes the quarter machines and coming to find me when she runs out of money.

I normally come back with a couple of $20 bills – sometimes more if I get daring and do well at the roulette table. But anymore than twice a year and it gets old. We much prefer Mesquite, NV since there is more to do there than just gamble and it’s close to a ton of major landmarks and wonderful landscapes. Plus, in the winter time, Wendover is pretty damn cold. It’s not like we are heading south to get warmer. But for 24 hours of fun and only 2 hours away, you can’t beat it. Wish us luck.

All Done

So, a new baby amongst us, sitting in front of a one-arm bandit and lots and lots of links [more than I planned on using]. Another Random Leakage has leaked out.

POMPOUS ASSHOLE

In all seriousness, I don’t know if I’ve been called that before. I’m sure there’s been things I’ve done or said in life to possibly deserve such a label. I’m not perfect and have never claimed to be. But it just came across pretty harsh. Even my ex-wife never called me anything that harsh before [at least not face-to-face].

Plus, what’s a pompous asshole supposed to look like?

“You sir are no Lincoln! You are a jerk and a small-minded individual”

See… he fits the pompous label: name calling, cuts his guest off before they can respond to any questions, yelling obscenities when he doesn’t get his way…. the very definition of pompous asshole. But I don’t recall resorting to name calling, cutting off the other person or yelling obscenities.

 
The Facial

Maybe I didn’t see myself when I was Twittering. There’s got to be some sort of physical look that belongs with the verbiage:

“Am I being pompous enough?”

Hmmm… that just doesn’t seem right. It’s not fitting. I feel angry, but not really pompous angry. Bill O’Reilly, you are safe with being the poster child for pompous asshole.

Ok. I think it’s because I was trying too hard to be pompous. Looking at a recent image of myself to see if without even trying to be pompous… maybe it’s just there and I didn’t know it at the time:

“Uh dad… you are not looking pompous enough”
 

Nope. I just don’t see it. So it’s not a physical thing.

Maybe I missed something that I said to this other person…. going back to the conversation at hand, I find these responses:

I’m not for opposing the candidate. Just question and research them before proclaiming your full support for them.

and this one:

oh I don’t expect you to know. it’s ok.

Both of these were in response to a question about GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin’s support for the Bridge To Nowhere. So I can see that *maybe* my responses could be taken as rude or sarcastic. But “pompous asshole”?

Kiss and Make up

So I pushed an envelope and responded with a comment that pushed a button, sent an email of apology and moved on.

In the future, as I learn from experiences like this, I tread much lighter with some people. I can respect when someone throws out the “You went too far” card. I try to be sensitive to people’s feelings and if I overstep a boundary, I admit it. Now does that sound like something a “pompous asshole” would do? I don’t think so.