Hey! I just wanted to drop everyone a quick line. I’m flying back from my vacation in Ocean City, MD. I joined my mother and my sister, Debbie’s, family in visiting my aunt, cousin’s family, and grandmother. We had a fabulous time! Check out my flickr account in the next couple days to see all the pictures! I’ll also post some of the videos I took with my new Canon 780IS to youtube! The videos from it are very crisp at 720p, and all it’s only a pocket, point and shoot!

Speaking of pictures. Check out the picture below. I’m writing this as I’m flying over southern Utah! Virgin America has wi-fi on their flight for 12 bucks. Well, I’m getting my money’s worth! The cabin is pretty cool, and each seat has a little video touch screen attached to it. I can watch CNN, a movie, play games, check out our position on Google Maps, and order a beer! If VA flys to where I want to go, I’ll probably go with Virgin!

Let’s see how this one works….

Stream videos at Ustream

Ok, here’s another of my stupid life experiments.  I was charged with finding the best way to do webcasts at work, and so I’m trying out Mogulus.  So far, it’s easy to use.  Well, here’s the “Channel” below.  Enjoy!

Well, I’m almost settled down here in Berkeley. Today is the first day on the job and we’re taking a break: We’re hosting a NISEnet conference for Nanotechnology education(the same kind of conference I attended in St. Paul, MN). I’m also getting settled down in my apartment. I’m still unpacking, an I’m glad my roomates are really cool and understanding.

I think I’ll leave everyone with a picture of the view from work!

Not that I need a bigger ego, but I was nominated for St. Louis’s Sexiest Geek at Toastedrav.com.  Click here to vote for me! It’s quite an honor, and I would like to thank my friend, Chip, for nominating me!  I wonder what the duties of the Sexiest Geek will be…

Well, it looks like I’ll need to give up on being the worst blogger in St. Louis because I just got a job out in Berkeley, CA!!  I’ll be a project manager for the Lawrence Hall of Science.  I’ll help design educational websites/modules that they’re producing for various grants.  I’m speechless.  I don’t know where I’m going to live though, and so I’m hitting Craigslist like a fiend right now!  I realize competition is stiff out there, but hopefully, I’ll become the worst blogger in the Bay Area!!

I usually don’t pimp myself or my blog out all that often, but when the odds look fairly good, I might as well try it out!  Go over to http://gearlive.com and enter their contest.  They’re giving out Hewlett Packard stuff!  You have to be on Twitter to enter!

You know, I forgot to post pictures of my awesome Halloween costume on Kooz.net.  I thought I made a great Rick Astley for Halloween!  Who?  You know:

You’ve been rickrolled!  It’s an Internet meme that started on photo and video sharing websites.  You post a link, and describe a really cool video.  For example, “Hey!  Check out this video of a lion eating a water buffalo!” You post the link, your marks click on it, and up pops the worst video of all time:  Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley.  Granted, I think the song is great and I’m envious of the dulcet tones Rick produces. But, damn!  His video is wretched!  Technically, I didn’t Rickroll you because you knew what you were getting into.

Anywho…I decided to dress as the red headed English crooner, and here is the result:

Rick versus Kooz

Not bad, eh?  Since this was taken at work, I had to wear a name badge.  It said, “Rick:  Gallery Leader of Never Gonna Give You Up.”  I also placed two diminutive speakers connected to my iPhone in my coat pocket.   I would then roll up behind people and do my best Rick Astley dance:  if that doesn’t scare you, you have nerves of steel!

Man, have the last two days been something else!  I’m so glad the majority of voting Americans decided that hope and change were better options than fear and irrationality.  One thing I’m concerned about is the anti-intellectualism in this country.  It’s like academics, science, and reason are being dismissed because they don’t conform to some political ideology.  We need to look at the natural world with objective eyes, and I think that’s the hope that Obama brings to us.  Real problems need to be identified and solved with real solutions and not ideologically shoehorned into solutions for problems that either do exist (our economy, terrorism) or are constructs of irrational fear (immigration, evolution, homophobia, pre-war Iraq).  I’m happy that we’ll have someone in the White House who is intellectually curious, embraces reasoned debate, and trusts science and all that science does for us.

I’m also very glad that Sarah Palin was roundly rejected.  No other figure in this election, save George W Bush himself, embodied anti-intellectualism and an incurious mind as she did.  In fact, I think you’ll start seeing other Republicans throwing her under the bus:  oh wait, it’s already happened, and on Fox News of all places:

Currently, no single character on the national stage garners less respect from me than her.  She has no respect for history, science, or reason.  If you look up political low-life, you will find a picture of Sarah Palin (well, in the next edition of Websters…).  I will make it my mission, that unless she changes and sees the error of her irrational ways, to campaign against this woman and make sure she never gets so close to the corridors of national power.

I look forward to the next 8 years…

First, I would like everyone to watch this video.  I want to make sure everyone’s vote counts:

I’m also taking Tuesday off to help Obama in St. Louis.  I’m probably going to call the North Side office tomorrow and ask what they need.

I’m also taking Wednesday off.  I’m either going to be celebrating pretty hard or drowning my sorrows (I have a feeling it’s going to the the former!).

I also want to give a shout out to MIke Erz!  He needs to join Facebook!  I also want my friends, Scott and Greg, to join to.