Albert Namatjira Google Doodle while in Australia
Albert Namatjira - Wikipedia https:/
Inside Reclaim Records
Reclaim Records is starting to get further fleshed out thanks to the latest installment from the great Bryan Mathers. I really love the colors in this one, not to mention the synchronization of all the details we’ve been working on from album covers, to the #ds106 coffee mug, to the awesome EDUPUNK poster (a work of art within the work of art), the smack-talking on Canada, and the figure behind the counter. The idea will be to switch the face of Reclaim—this one presumably me given the hairline and glasses—with caricatures of Tim and Lauren. Each of us behind the counter server up the goods. What this image makes me want more than anything else is a Reclaim storefront. http:/
EDUPUNK #4life
This is the latest design for inside the Reclaim Records store by Bryan Mathers. This is so freaking fun!
Turn of the Century Posters at NYPL: The Story of the Female Rebellion
The New York Public Library's Turn of the Century Posters Collection is pretty awesome. The Female Rebellion example above is just one of so many fascinating posters from the early 20th century.
http:/
If anyone needs me, I'll be over here working in Terminal!
I love @noiseprofessor's rapid photoshop/#jimgroom art about as much as I lvoe anything on the internet. https:/
Yoshimi Battles the University of Oklahoma
Some new artwork for Reclaim Hosting thanks to the great Bryan Mathers.
Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation
Some new artwork for Reclaim Hosting thanks to the great Bryan Mathers.
Reclaim Record Stack
Some new artwork for Reclaim Hosting thanks to the great Bryan Mathers. The Record Stack.
Reclaim Records
Some new artwork for Reclaim Hosting thanks to the great Bryan Mathers. The store front.
Open's Just Another Word for...
Poster for the #OEr16 talk I will be giving in April. Now for the actual talk...
Gotta love @BryanMathers artwork #sogood
Anna Rinko is a Great Mind
My tribute to a freshman at UMW who I've been following for almost 4years now. She is awesome. http:/
Dejá Vu: WordPress and the Syndication Bus in 2009
This is one of the earlier presentations I have given about the syndication bus. Still carrying that torch, will be talking about same stuff today at same University. It is still not nearly as easy as it should be, quite frankly.
Universidad de Sagrado Corazón's Chapel
I have been to the university four times over the last 6 years, and this is the first time I have seen the refurbished chapel finished. It came out beautifully.
Finn4life
Made this GIF this morning while preparing to run an orientation workshop on GIFs. Martha Burtis created a brilliant infrastructure at giffing.net, and after watching her do her magic yesterday, they might actually let me run it today!
You're my boy, Blue!
Made this GIF this morning while preparing to run an orientation workshop on GIFs. Martha Burtis created a brilliant infrastructure at giffing.net, and after watching her do her magic yesterday, they might actually let me run it today!
Sharknado -need I say anything else?
Made this GIF this morning while preparing to run an orientation workshop on GIFs. Martha Burtis created a brilliant infrastructure at giffing.net, and after watching her do her magic yesterday, they might actually let me run it today!
Thumbs Up for Fury Road
Made this GIF this morning while preparing to run an orientation workshop on GIFs. Martha Burtis created a brilliant infrastructure at giffing.net, and after watching her do her magic yesterday, they might actually let me run it today!
Back to the Future now on Betamax #umwconsole
I learned today that Betamax survived as a format through the 80s into the early 90s, as a niche market.
Also picked up this box of Betamax tapes. #umwconsole
What is interesting about Betamax tapes is that while they're smaller than VHS, the packaging is the same size. Making the two virtually indistinguishable save for the Beta label or the blue "Beta" sticker.
The #umwconsole is officially in Betamax!
I picked up a pretty awesome Sanyo Betamax VCR player today. The Olympics sticker dates it at 1984!
#umwconsole
Back to the Future of Media Covergence #umwconsole
I think this poster officially dates the exhibit to 1985
#umwconsole
Look at @spativa and @timmmmyboy, a couple of regular @CanvasLMS grant superheroes! #umw
Mary Kayler and Tim Owens celebrating the announcement of their Canvas grant to integrate WordPress more deeply into that LMS. Is it possible? We will see. Read more here: https:/
Back in the USSR #umwconsole
Zach Whalen time appropriate world globe subtly points to the geo-politial realities that framed 1985. The Cold War and Vietnam were still very much with us. Mother Russia was ground Zero for the USSR, and Rambo: First Blood, Pt. II was out in theaters. Latch-key kids would come home to play Space Invaders in hopes that they could ward off the highly organized aliens from world domination. The metaphors of the moment are everywhere.
#umwconsole
Another angle of the Console Living Room at #UMW. #paneling #umwconsole #4life
We are still waiting on the Back to the Future poster, but once that goes up I think the first phase of the Console Living Room exhibit will be complete. The next stage is to promote the site, and have people donate elements to the space that make it a shared experience (real or imagined ) of a 1985 living room.
The Videodrome poster came in today. Dr. Oblivion would be proud #umwconsole #thenewflesh
This is a nice shot of the almost completed reproduction of a 1985 living room at UMW. The Videodrome (1983) poster came in today, and nothing says convergence like James Woods corporally internalizing a VHS tape into his stomach :) We are still waiting on the back to the Future poster, but after that we are pretty much golden. You'll notice the details on the paneling are all done-Zach Whalen and I finished all the paneling up this afternoon thanks to the help of Kenny Horning in the Theatre department.
A look at a few of the Atari 2600 cartridges we have available to play at the Console Living Room #umwconsole
Not a bad selection, if I do say so myself :)
Tommaso digging latest addition to the #umwconsole exhibit: Coleco's Head-to-Head Football
This was one of my all-time favorite games as a kid, and I was surprised how quickly Tommaso picked up on the gameplay. It is stands up fairly well, and he spent a better part of this morning doing touchdown dances around the living room.
Commodore Monitor #umwconsole
The owner of the TV repair shop is using a Commodore monitor as a test monitor. He has had it since he was a kid, and swears it's the best test monitor ever. It was not for sale :(
Space Commander 300 -OG remote control that changed channels via sound! #umwconsole
No shit, this remote control has two different tones, and they would activate a motor on the TV that would change the channel. Trippy!
#umwconsole
Today's vinyl purchase is dedicated to the original roller queen @drgarcia #umwconsole
Is there anything more 80s than this vinyl record?
I bought this Emerson TV today with manual and working remote for $20 #umwconsole
I got some bad news that the Quasar 25" Tv I bought a month ago needed some major surgery. I committed to the necessary organ transplants, but in the meantime bought another old school TV for the exhibit because I am a chronic consumer. God save capitalism and the 80s.
#umwconsole
1980s video discs on the wall #umwconsole
Turns out the TV repair shop in Petersburg where I bought the Quasar TV was originally a video store, and they had custom built holders for videodiscs on their wood paneled walls. The owner of the shop showed them to me, and I decided I would build something like this myself, one day.
#umwconsole
My mom used to call this the "Victrola" #umwconsole
This piece of history actually works. We are working on getting a new needle and cleaning up the radio tuner.
#umwconsole
A look at the preliminary setup of the Console Living Room #umwconsole
We hadn't yet moved the foosball in the living room, but you can get a sense of the space in this shot. And how about that love seat?
#umwconsole
.@zachwhalen adjusting the vertical hold #umwconsole
The faux wood panel entertainment center is pretty awesome. It actually has a whole side door for VHS tapes :)
#umwconsole
Various UMW students, including @Plamkeen, already having fun in the 80s living room! #umwconsole
After we got the initial furniture set and moved in the Atari 2600, student started immediately hanging out in the space, including a rare spotting of #noir106er @Plamkeen.
#umwconsole
.@zachwahlen at home with students in the Console Living Room #uwmconsole
Yesterday the furniture for the #umwconsole exhibit was delivered, and everything really started to congeal. The furniture is perfect (we got it for nothing from the UMW Storehourse) and we have more than enough. We are thinking about creating two living rooms :) It took us about an hour and a half to set it up, and this weekend we will be building the panel walls and decorating them with time appropriate posters.
#umwconsole
Hollywood Flat Plans for the #umwconsole panel walls we'll be building this weekend
Kenny Horning from the theater department came by yesterday to help Zach Whalen and I plan how we would build the panel walls for the exhibit. These are the whiteboard plans with all the details. I learned that this particular design is called a Hollywood flat.
Playing the Bible Adventures game for NES makes me wonder if there is really a Red Sea Crossing game for Atari 2600 #umwconsole
There is lore about this game, but I don't think any versions have materialized to confirm it existence. I guess we should take it on faith. http:/
"Pelican!" Karate Kid #umwconsole poster is now proudly hanging on my office door
Zach Whalen and Mike Black did the heavy lifting to get the UMW Console poster finished up. And we now have 60 posters with five different screens of various media. This should be fun!
"Don't throw baby Moses in the water!" Bible Adventures for NES can be disturbing #umwconsole
The Baby Moses game story for the Bible Adventures NES allows you to throw baby Moses into the water, and then that's it. The game goes on, but there is no point. Seems like some deep, disturbing existential parable a la Nietszche.
Notice how the graphics seem to be inspired by the Super Mario Bros design.
Caught @zachwhalen hitting TV for full Bible Adventures experience on NES #umwconsole
Zach is playing the Bible Adventures game Baby Moses. You can actually throw baby Moses into the water, and the gameplay goes on, although there is nothing else you can do. Kind of religiously existential.
Bible Adventures game for NES includes long Biblical Quotes #umwconsole #gamifyreligion
This quote is from Genesis and is where God tells know I'm about to open the tap on you all. This is some hardcore gamifying of the Bible, although you only shepherd animals, so gameplay gets dull quick.
Menu screen for Bible Adventures game for the NES #umwconsole
Zach Whalen has this wild NES game called Bible Adventures that let's you play through three different stories in the Old Testament: Noah's Ark, baby Moses, and David and Goliath. You spend most of your time shepherding animals, unless you are throwing babies in water. A truly wild game. It wasn't an official NES game, but rather a religious bootleg sold only in religious stores. Kinda like early religious rock bands, but for the NES :)
Atari 2600 page from 1982 JC Penny Xmas Catalog #umwconsole
This image was found on the great Wishbook's Flickr site:
https:/
#umwconsole
Microsurgeon #umwconsole poster for upcoming Exhibit starting March 30 at #UMW
Zach Whalen and Mike Black have been hard at work on the UMW Console posters, I like what they've come up with a lot!
Super Mario #umwconsole poster for upcoming Exhibit starting March 30 at #UMW
Zach Whalen and Mike Black have been hard at work on the UMW Console posters, I like what they've come up with a lot!
Karate Kid #umwconsole poster for upcoming Exhibit starting March 30 at #UMW
Zach Whalen and Mike Black have been hard at work on the UMW Console posters, I like what they've come up with a lot!
Console Living Room poster for upcoming Exhibit starting March 30 at #UMW #umwconsole
Zach Whalen and Mike Black have been hard at work on the UMW Console posters, I like what they've come up with a lot!
UMW Domains Growth through 3/19/2015 #umwdomains
The university is doing a story on UMW's Domain of One's Own, which pushed me to start tracking some data about the initiative thus far. I can break it down by how many students by class (i.e. Freshman, Sophomore, etc.), how many courses, number of faculty/staff, etc.
Domains Users
Fall 2013 389 364
Spring 2014 638 629
Fall 2014 1074 993
Spring 2015 1316 1256
Those number breakdown as follows:
971 Active students (or 997 -bit uncertainty here)
154 Graduates
131 Faculty and Staff
Also, we had 10 courses using DoOO in Fall 2013 and 14 in Spring 2014. In fall 2014 we had 23 courses, and 14 in Spring 2015.
Freshman: 127
Sophomores: 206
Juniors: 244
Seniors: 420
Miles playing Phoenix on Atari 2600 #umwconsole
Miles came by my office this morning, and was really digging on the Atari 2600. Phoenix was his favorite (which is no surprise to me), and he was more than competent. Interestingly enough, he had real problems with the old school Atari joystick, which I realized are not designed for lefties. Whereas the joystick pictured here has a far more universal design.
.@zachwahlen reading the Microsurgeon manual #umwconsole
Microsurgeon is a crazy Intellivision game based on The Fantastic Voyage. In other words, this game is designed around a ship that flies through a body and destroys invasive contagions.
The port of Phoenix for Atari 2600 in 1982 was impressive #umwconsole
And the art is totally Blade Runner-esque.
Cartridge for Haunted House (1981) #umwconsole
Another of my favorite games for Atari 2600.
#umwconsole
Most disappointing video game purchase of my life was back in 1981 #umwconsole
Pac-Man for the 2600 might have been the greatest disappointment of my life.
#umwconsole
Math Grand Prix -Gamified Education in 1982 #umwconsole
Gamification is nothing new, it's just more annoying now.
Raiders of the Lost Ark for Atari 2600 Manual Cover #umwconsole
One of my personal favorite games for the Atari 2600 was Raiders of the Lost Ark. It took two joysticks to play, and may have been one of the most inelegant games ever. But I loved it.
#umwconsole
#paratext
Art of the Microsurgeon Intellivision Game #umwconsole
Zach Whalen brought in this insane game for Intellivision called Microsurgeon, based on the film Fantastic Voyage, or the 80s adaptation Inner Space.
Coleco Video Games for the Atari 2600 #umwconsole
This is a promotional pamphlet that accompanied Coleco video games for the Atari 2600 console. Donkey Kong was decent, but I really liked Venture and the Smurf game, personally. Given how rudimentary Venture graphics were in the Coin-op version, it almost seemed like a flawless port to the 2600. As for Gargamel's Castle, well, I've been an unrepentant Smurf fan since second or third grade.
Zach Whalen brought this over along with a ton of video cartridge manuals and other "paratext" as he described it. This stuff is alike a waterfall of context nostalgia. Between the cartridge art, the player manuals, advertisements like this one, and the actual cartridges and consoles---I really couldn't be happier. My office has transformed into an early 80s showroom. I'll be scanning and blogging as much of the cartridge art, manuals, and advetisements as I can as part of the Console Living Room exhibit. And Iyou can be sure I'll be flooding all the social mediaz with what I discover.
#umwconsole
Close-up of Atari 2600 joystick circuitry #umwconsole
Thanks to Zach Whale, I know have a rather solid understanding of how an Atari 2600 joystick works, and I consider that a very cool accomplishment.
#umwconsole
Disassembled Atari 2600 Joystick #umwconsole
Zach Whalen and I spent much of this afternoon working on the controllers for Atari 2600. Zach fixed the paddles for 2600, as well as the paddles on the Telestar (he was on fire). We finally got one of the two broken joysticks working for the 2600 which means we have a pair. Hopefully we'll get the third/spare joystick working soon enough.
#umwconsole
Skiing on Intellivision #umwconsole
The gameplay on the Intellivision was quite solid. And the physics engine for momentum was pretty impressive for the skiing game.
Intellivision
Zach Whalen brought over his latest score for the #umwconsole exhibit: Intellivision. I think I have six 1980s game consoles in my office currently, I love it!
The Day After on SelectaVision
Yesterday I purchased an RCA SelectaVision along with over 50 movies for about $75. I decided 1980s nuclear propaganda fear TV original "The Day After" would make an awesome first movie to test it out with. I think the cartridge /stylus is going, so I'll get my hands on a new one, but this technology is truly far-out. It's basically grooved, vinyl-like videodiscs that are read by a stylus. It's such a bizarre, hybrid technology between the worlds of analog and digital---perfect for the #umwconsole exhibit. This format only lasted from 1980-1985, and couldn't compete with either the Laserdisc or the VHS.
Got You Humanoid #umwconsole
This is how the Berzerk game for Vectrex ends. It's pretty awesome.
#umwconsole
#berzerk
Latest Addition to Console Living Room: The Vectrex
Zach Whalen brought over his Vectrex yesterday. It will be a special guest to the exhibit, meaning it will be on exhibit at specific times given it's relatively rare and awesome. I am playing Berserk here, and the gameplay was brilliant. Vector games always ruled.
.@spencer_cscott stopped by the office for a game of Adventure on the Atari 2600.
Spenser Scott, a epic ds106 internaut, stopped by my office in the ITCC at UMW for a quick game of Adventure and Pitfall. This opportunity is open to all #ds106 internauts #4life
Bava2600
Let me count the ways I love Micahel Branson Smith:
https:/
The Atari 2600 changed my life (#UMW trivia: this was Chris Foss's boyhood system :) #hotsauce
**Update: This was not Foss's ---that's an Atari 2600 Jr, and is coming tomorrow.**
Zach Whalen brought Chris Foss's Atari 2600 by the office today as we prepare for our Console Living Room exhibit at UMW which will try and reproduce a 1985 living room area, suggesting the convergence of media like video games, TVs, stereos, VCRs, and more It should be a blast, and it will be running for 5 weeks on the four floor of UMW's ITCC from the end of March through all of April.
The great @rushaw came through with a VCR head cleaner to ensure I could use my latest purchase
I got the Panasonic Omnivision VCR I ordered through on Monday, and I finally got around to setting it up. When I went to play a tape I almost froze with confusion. How do I do this again? What's more, the tape was not working properly because the heads were dirty, and Andy Rush came through with a VHS head cleaner. How awesome is that?
Zenith Chromacolor II Controls Close-Up
A closer look at the control panel for this 1977 TV machine. Notice the AFC (Automatic Frequency Control) button right next to the color enhancing "Chromatic" button. Knobs are in perfect working order, and you can see the various dials built into the side. And where would any electronics of the 70s and 80s be without the wood paneling ;)
This beautiful 1977 Zenith Chromacolor II 19" TV is currently residing in my office. Bunny ears and all!
This TV is on loan for the Living Room Console exhibit I am working on with Zach Whalen. And one of the UMW community member kindly loaned us this set for the exhibit. One of at least three we will have on hand :)
EC Comics' Tales From the Crypt, Volume 3
This is a collection of Tales from the Crypt comics I got while in LA for Miles. It is published by Dar Horse Comics, and it is truly beautiful. Volume 1 and 2 seem to be out of print, but I have a line on both of them. Already ordered volumes 4 and 5 :)
1985 Panasonic Omnivision Top Loading VCR
This is currently in the mail on the way to my house. I am very excited. This is the exact model our family got in 1985, and it is a perfect edition to the Living Room Console exhibit.
First piece of the Console Living Room exhibit has been secured #umwconsole
Description:
QUASAR Vintage 1981 25" Color Console TV! RETRO w/ Remote!! TU9920TP
RETRO & VERY CLEAN Vintage Quasar Console TV! The cabinet is in excellent condition, clean, no scratches at all on the tops and sides, this TV was kept in excellent condition and has only had one owner! The remote control is a little worn and the battery cover is missing.
The TV works perfectly and has no issues at all, great picture and sound! It is cable ready and can adapt to any cable box, VCR, or digital antenna converter! There are no aux AV jacks, so in order to connect a DVD player or game system, you must have an RF modulator or run through a VCR.
#ds106 Animated GIF Art Car
I love the early 1970s Buick Skylarks, muscle meets elegance. I also love animated GIFs, so I figured this would be a nice little mashup for an art car. I appreciated today's Daily Create because it forced me to play a bit with the perspective tool in GIMP, amazingly something I never used before. Always learning.
#dailycreate
#tdc1124
"Sorry for what we are about to do to you" #dailycreate #ds106
This was my quick submission for today's Daily Create. I took this image of Hong Kong police just about to clash with protestors from The Big Picture, and framed it as a premeditated "I'm Sorry."
#dailycreate
#tdc1122
#ds106
(A)Historical Selfie: Batman #ds106 #noir106
Took my version of the Batman selfie, and wrapped it up in the template from Tom Woodward's Historical Selfie assignment (which I love): http:/
Chimeratic Composition: Batman Selfie from on high #ds106
This is my take on Tom Woodward's #ds106 assignment Chimeratic Composition: http:/
Love @erinradar's Enjoy Capitalism
Erin Raderstorf's #dailycreate is pretty brilliant! https:/
A stack of film noir #noir106 #ds106 #movies
This is the current stack of film noir I am watching for inspiration as we head deeper in to #ds106
#noir106
#ds106 Noir Doodle: "Dead Men Tell No Tales"
This is my take on today's Daily Create: http:/
I found the Devil and Goat icons in the wallpaper at the #itcc cafe #umw
There is a Devil Goat day tradition at UMW that goes back to the 1920s. I can't tell you all the details, but some students identify as devils, and others as goats. It's kind of a thing. In the new cafe in the Information Technology Convergence Center (ITCC) building at UMW there is a very cool easter egg. Buried in a wallpaper pattern of about ten icons that repeat hundreds of times there is exactly one devil and one goat icon. Today I found them both.
#umw #devilgoat #itcc
The Battle for My Weekend Reading. Looking forward to @mweller's The Battle for Open #bigfan
Martin Weller's recent book arrived in the mail today all the way from the UK. Looking forward to his thinking about the state of open, and I particularly love his writing. He's got a thing for bad metaphors like me, and we can trace it back to b-movies from the 1970s and 80s.
Eye Selfie #ds106 #dailycreate #noir106
My eye selfie for today's Daily Create http:/
Jeffrey Dahmer with an ice bong #WeirdestthingIsawonsocialmediatoday
#Weirdestthing I saw on social media today
A Ship Shipping Ships - a metaphor for virtualized servers and containerization via @bmann
Boris Mann linked me to this image as a metaphor for virtualized servers and containerization.
Miles at School
This picture was tweeted to me by one of the #ds106 internauts, just so happens we both have kids in the same 4th grade class! Very cool
Clash of the Titans Inflatable Pegasus
I never had this toy, but I wish I had. Via Plaid Stallions Twitter account: https:/
The OU Library's Great Reading Room
The University of Oklahoma's Great Reading Room was a site to behold. Reminiscent of the NYPL's reading room, it was decked out in all its 1920s splendor. I really enjoyed the archaeological tour through the different wings and time periods of the library. Nothing could touch this room though, they don't make em like that anymore.
Image credit: Adam Croom
Signed, original copy of Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius, his only text written in latin
I had the good fortune of seeing the amazing History of Science collection at the University of Oklahoma, including this original, signed copy of Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius, wherein he argues there are mountains on the moon. Curator Terry Macgruder made a compelling argument as to why his artistic and musical origins made his revolutionary scientific discoveries possible. Truly a harmony of the spheres. OU has an entire exhibit on this world class collection of science text coming later this year.
Image credit: Adam Croom
Tommy Sinder has his own domain http://tsnider.com/ Do you? #OUtechexpo
Tommy Snider works at University One at OU, and he has his own, awesome domain through create.ou.edu:
http:/
Image credit: Adam Croom
A wall of open source Reclaim apps at University of Oklahoma #OUtechexpo
I finally got to see the OU Create window display. It is awesome. Reclaim Hosting in the flesh!
Image credit: Adam Croom
First experience with Oculus Rift brought me inside the Millenium Falcon
Got to play with Oculus Rift at University of Oklahoma. Very wild, complete immersion. And thanks to learning how to see with bifocals, I didn't get seasick.
Image credit: Adam Croom
I found the cloud at University of Oklahoma. It's far more material than I expected. #outechexpo
Love the tech store at the University of Oklahoma.
Image credit: Adam Croom
My first Mario Bava film, a strong contender for some #bavaoffice wall space
Mario Bava's Planet of the Vampires, the film that inspired Alien whether Ridley Scott acknowledges it or not.
Repo Man movie poster, next ornament for the #bavaoffice?
This is possibly the next movie poster for my office. "She's a rock; she'll take the bus."
Mario Bava's Black Sabbath minimalist movie poster.
View more awesome Italian b-movie movie posters here: http:/
Got a movie poster of Mario Bava's Kill Baby Kill for the office
Got a poster of Mario Bava's Kill Baby Kill for the office, I only need one more to complete the wall. I'm thinking Planet of the Vampires, but hard to resist Back Sunday and Black Sabbath.
What evil lurks beneath the #ds106 quilt?
Miles setup his reading fort using the #ds106 quilt I received from Sandy Jensen Brown in the mail a few days ago. I can't think of a better use.
#ds106 quilt fort
Sandy Jensen Brown sent me this awesome #ds106 quilt that my kids have quickly incorporated into their coach fort.
A Window on Monticello
This shot was a mistake, but a really like it. This window is beneath the house on the way to the kitchen. The light from above shines on those below-darkness visible.
Monticello at a distance
I'm not sure to many other places capture so starkly the hope and promise of enlightenment alongside the subjection that made it possible.
Anto and Angela at Monticello
Anto's mom, Angela, loved Monticello. We've been on an early American tear this break. Re-watching the HBO John Adams series, visiting local attractions like Chatham in Fredericskburg, and now Monticello. I'm not sure to many other places capture so starkly the hope and promise of enlightenment alongside the subjection that made it possible.
Tommaso playing the clown at Monticello
Tommaso is at a pretty awesome age. I could bribe him pretty easily with a toy to behave during the house tour, which ensured my first entire house tour after my fourth or fifth visit. Victory!
Monticello New Year's Eve 2014
We visited Monticello with Antonella's mother, Angela, on New Year's Eve. It was a wonderful visit, and there was almost no one else there. It felt like we had the grounds and house to ourself.
Monticello's Frozen Fish Pond
I think we might have been to Monitcello in every season now. This was our second time in Winter, but the first time the fish pond was completely frozen.
Archeology at Monticello
There was an archelogical crew at Monticello excavating the wing were they kept the horses, phaetons, carriages, etc.
Monticello
This must be my fourth or fifth time to Monticello since I moved to Virginia in 2005, and I never tire of it. What's more, this was the first time I actually made it through the entire house. On all previous trips for one reason or another (mostly screaming children) my tour was always foreshortened. I absolutely loved the triple sash windows in the guest bedroom. I want to install that in the bava den. Also, 18.5 foot ceilings-so awesome.
ILIKETOEATVANILLAICECREAM
I did a little decoding using Thomas Jefferson cipher wheel at Monticello. The message was laden with meanings given the history.
All plumbing is in and working
Today I got the toilet in and Anto and I painted the walls. You can't see the painted walls and trim in this image, but they real bring the room together.
Finishing tile and grout
Almost all of yesterday was dedicated to finishing up some loose ends with the tile (still waiting for the custom ordered outside corner pieces for the base). And I spent six hours last night and early this morning grouting. It was a bitch of a job. But this is what my bathroom looked like this morning.
Flange Extender
I didn't do any tile in the bathroom today, rather I started to deal with some outstanding issues. One of which was the toilet flange. The toilet flange should sit on top of the tile, but the cast iron flange in my bathroom sits level with the floor because I built the floor more than 1/2" with the cement board, mortar, tile, etc. Given this, I needed an extender. My cast iron flange is a bit weird because it's offset, and the only thing I could find to fit it well was the Sioux Chief gasket flange. I checked it out today, and it seems like it will work. I was concerned about the PVC on cast iron, but according to the manufacturer these piece was designed to sit on top of cast iron flanges. I guess we'll see tomorrow. The red gasket at the bottom makes the flange fit snug, and I'll be sealing the PVC to the cast iron flange with some adhesive silicon, and bolting both the original and extender flanges together to make sure they're solid.
Il bagno quasi finito
This picture captures the fact the bathroom is all but done. I already rewired the electric today, and also got an extended flange so that I can install the toilet tomorrow. So, everything being equal, I should be able to finish up the few last tiles, grout, and install the toilet tomorrow.
After that, I have to clean up a few spots on the wall, paint a bit, finish the trim, prime the window, and replace the door. And that's that!
SOMETHING there is that doesn't love a wall
I spent way too long on this, the final wall. I cut the starter pieces for the lines at 2 and 4 inches, which for 6" tiles means they won't lay staggered every 3". It was a rookie mistake, and I paid for it because I had to take out every other row and made sure they ended at exactly the 3" middle point of the tiles in the rows above and below. It added a good hour and half to the end of my day. But there was no way I was going to have to look at that mistake for the next twenty years---there are plenty of others to keep me occupied for years to come.
Tiled Window Wall
I got the final two walls almost entirely tiled. You can see where I left room for the bottom window trim. the last two walls done, the room is really starting to look finished. I am getting excited.
Tight Fitting Vanity
Last couple of days I've been finishing up the bathroom. Installed the vanity (which fits perfectly) and got the sink running actual water!
A Very Vader Xmas
I got this Star Wars fan art for Xmas, and I am stoked. Vader suits me. This piece was painted by Gabriel Pons of the Ponshop art gallery in downtown Fredericksburg. A mecca for all kinds of awesome pop art and more.
Awesome Stocking Stuffers: Mod Man
This one is my favorite. Miles has requested upwards of 42 mods from Santa. WTF! So I was wondering how I was going to do this when today I saw this over priced Lego 4 GB jump drive. I got the idea of making a sticker shirt "Mod Man" and creating a story around this guy. It's a magical jump drive, and Santa leaves a readme.txt for Miles taking him through the details (I'll post it all on my blog at some point). The short version is anytime he wants a mod he has to update the request.txt file and leave it on the mantle and Santa will make sure the mod is added. Miles is just ten, and I love him because he pretty much knows we are Santa, but refuses to let on. I wanna think he believes in the most beautiful of ways, he understands that the magic of possibilities can never truly be explained away, and you must never pretend to outgrow..
Awesome Stocking Stuffers: The Thing Blu-Ray
Miles has been begging for the next installment of horror, and given he handled Alien like a champ, I think it's time to move to the logical next step: John Carpenter's The Thing. While watching Alien with Miles, Iw as struck by how much Carpenter seems to have been inspired by Alien. Not to mention how much Ridley Scott was inspired by Planet of the Vampires for Alien :)
Awesome Stocking Stuffers: Ash from Alein Figurine
Miles and I saw Alien together last week, and he was appropriately blown away. He was struck by the android science office Ash, so I could resist this ReAction figure as a stocking stuffer.
Sink Alcove
I spent today tiling around the sink alcove. You might notice missing tiles on the back wall and the left wall. That by design. The sink/vanity will be snugly fit in this area, and the access points are for shower valves and the like.
Another angle on the tile and soon to be installed sink
You can see the wall of subway tile with a black accent that will be tracing around the bathroom except in the shower and sink alcove. We were considering a pedestal sink, but the floor is crazy out of level and there is no storage in the bathroom save the small vanity, which effectively will be lodged in a 24" wide alcove.
A closer look at the basket weave tile floor
I actually dig the basket weave tile on the floor a lot. It's been covered with masonite for the last ten days so I keep forgetting how cool it will look with the subway tile.
Bathroom Renovation 2014
Almost there, I have two more walls of tile to do. This is the third bathroom renovation I have done in the last fifteen years, and it is taking me forever to do the wall tile. I did the floor in a day and a half, but this is my fifth day of tiling the walls, and I am only 70% through. I am getting old, but my bathrooms are getting awesomer!
A Subway Shower
Pretty happy with how the subway tile in the shower came out. It runs up to the ceiling, it's amazing how much more light and space the bathroom gets from their glossy reflection.
The Bava Blogging Recliner 2.0
I've had this chair for almost nine years, but after two cats and some serious blogging it had seen better days. So this week we got it reupholstered. New life. #reclaim
Looking in the Walls
For today's Daily Create I decided to document some of the looking in I've been doing lately. Namely looking inside the house, and the walls, the plumbing the electric and more. Nothing like a bathroom renovation to force you to get all existential about time, the great destroyer. The solid bones on this 80 year old house give me hope though.
Daphne up close and personal
Half shepherd and beagle? There has to be some labrador in there somewhere.
A creeper in my yard
One of the many thing I love about Minecraft is that its 8-bit design makes Halloween costumes very easy. Miles will be creeping this Friday!
Tommaso's Mario Outfit
Antonella has been working on a Mario costume for Tommaso this Halloween, it's coming along nicely!
Fall in Fredericskburg
I walked Tommaso to pre-school this morning, and this tree lit up the neighborhood. I love Fall.
This was long overdue
Today I got around to gutting the upstairs bathroom in my house. It took me way too long, but it felt good to finally be doing it.
Cult Classics Dawn of the Dead Hare Krishna Zombie doll (front view packaging)
Just bought this random doll, I love it! Context here: http:/
Cult Classics Dawn of the Dead Hare Krishna Zombie doll (back cover packaging)
Just bought this random doll, I love it! Context here: http:/
It's Fall at UMW
The foliage is starting to turn, and the trees along college avenue in front of duPont Hall are a spectacle to be seen.
Empathy Map by way of the Noun Project #wire106 #ds106dc
Above is my first Daily Create of the week: The Empathy Map. To have fun, I did it all in Noun Project icons, the credits are below.
Credits:
Empire State Building designed by Stefan Spieler from the Noun Project
Immersive Experience designed by Luis Prado from the Noun Project
Art designed by Will Deskins from the Noun Project
Sound Wave designed by Aleksandr Novolokov from the Noun Project
Conversation designed by Ahmed Elzahra from the Noun Project
D&D alignment chart for The Wire #ds106 #wire106 via @joefromkenyon
Joe Murphy on Twitter: "Is there enough creativity in making a pop culture D&D alignment chart for a #ds106 create? #wire106 version: http:/
UMW really should have a class on The Wire #wire106
Imran discovered this on Yik Yak and sent it my way and I was like "What is #wire106 chopped liver?" http:/
The real GIF Shakespearean LOLcat: Salad Days #ds106
I've been dying to do this assignment for a long time: http:/
VisualAssignments, VisualAssignments1180
GIF found here: http:/
Omar gives Bird the tie fly by #wire106 #gif
Love this scene. Say it like peanut butter:
http:/
VisualAssignments, VisualAssignments2
Shakespearean LOLcat: Salad Days #ds106
I've been dying to do this assignment for a long time: http:/
VisualAssignments, VisualAssignments1180
GIF found here: http:/
Historical Selfie: Sid Vicious #ds106
Finally did Tom Woodward's historical selfies assignment (very fun):
http:/
Daily Create 2600 Joystick Cross-section #ds06 #ds106dc
Find the TDC here: http:/
dailycreate
tdc990
Photo Blitz Image #7: Take a picture of a pet (domesticated, wild, rabid...) #ds106 #photoblitz
For my final image, I took a picture of Linux, the open source penguin. The pet that keeps on giving.
Photo Blitz Image #6: Take a picture of something you wear #photoblitz #ds106
I always have my safety goggles close at hand!
Photo Blitz Image #5: Take an image of a word on a sign that describes how you feel #ds106 #photoblitz
SUPER [COBRA] One of the many stand-up arcade signs on the wall of my office. Such beautiful colors and font.
Photo Blitz Image #4: Take an image of an irregular pattern #ds106 #photoblitz
Shark teeth follow an irregular and haunting pattern. This is a 3D print of Great White jaws.
Photo Blitz Image #3: Fill the frame #photoblitz #ds106
This is a photo of my son Miles' three-headed Hydra I stole from him and now sits in my office.
TDC 989: Toxic Fan @ds106dc #dailycreate #ds106
Love today's Daily Create. I will document my process on the blog, but in the meantime I remixed the fan icon designed by Arthur Shlain from the Noun Project here:
http:/
Hearing Is believing
Love Paul Bond's imagined epigraph for week 4 "Hearing is Believing." In fact, this would make a nice, simple Design assignment, so I created it. Thanks for the inspiration, Paul.
@timmmmyboy and I had some fun in the incubator classroom this week! #umwitcc
Here is a link to the video, I would start around 25-30 minutes in :)
http:/
Thanks to the great Barbara Sawhill for sharing this screenshot on Twitter: https:/
Fossil Beach Sky
It was a beautiful day at Westmoreland Park today, and this image captures beautifully the gorgeous sky. It was in the mid to high 70s, and the kids all swam for over an hour. It was a last gasp of summer, if you can call what we had this year summer. Keep in mind I am not complaining.
Erosion
This is one of the bluffs at Fossil Beach in Westmoreland State Park. Some pretty intense erosion.
Fossil Beach
This beach on the Potomac River is known for producing endless amounts of fossilized shark teeth. What's more, the constant flight of Bald Eagles and Osprey doesn't hurt the view either
The Wire Everywhere: The Pay Phone #ds106 #wire106
I was at Westmoreland State Park with my family today and I saw a pay phone by the visitors center and immediately thought of The Wire Everywhere assignment for ds106. It's interesting how the pay phone is becoming a vestigial technology in a society where a majority of folks carry one in their pocket (in addition to an extremely powerful computer).
I love the aesthetic of the pay phone, and it's a staple of The Wire season 1, so I figured I would capture just that. It's interesting how something as ubiquitous as this technology 25 years ago has vanished in the wake of the mobile revolution. The idea of vanishing technology like the pay phone is fascinating, and the idea that Grant Potter set it up so that you could broadcast to #ds106radio from a pay phone back in the day was one of the most interesting marriages of old and new technologies I've ever seen.
Ticket Stub from Star Wars: A New Hope at LOC Packard Campus this past Saturday Night in glorious 35MM
I'll write an entire post about this one, but suffice it to say watching Star Wars in 35 MM at the Library of Congress Packard Campus this weekend with the family did not disappoint. This was a memento I wanted to keep for documentation purposes. If only I could share my brains processing of the visual experience :)
Judge Rawls on Justice: a Wired Triple Troll Quote
So who said the quote?
Here is the entire post: http:/
Wiring Mirror Scenes
This is the image for the Wiring Mirror Scenes assignment I created and completed for #wire106
Pay phone GIF #ds106 #wire106
This is a GIF from episode 5,"The Pager," when D'Angelo starts an irreversible series of events.
Polish Existenz Film Poster
Thanks to Mike Caulfield for linking me to this gem. eXistenx meets Inception :)
http:/
Foosketball #dailyCreate #tdc971 #ds106
Foosketball:
A sport created by and for the Gods, combining football, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. Like in ultimate frisbee, a player cannot move with the ball. However, instead of a frisbee, foosketball is played with a football and instead of crossing an endline, a team must shoot the football into a basketball hoop in order to score a point.
It must be noted that in foosketball there are no guarantees. This refers to the difficulty of the game, most notably that even the easiest of shots can rim out due to the sport’s epic and intense nature.
- www.UrbanDictionary.com definition
Actually, Fooseketball is an interesting mashup because it was actually dreamed up by Wesley Clark, a student who took ds106 back in the Fall of 2010. He did a video on the game his friends created in Falls Church for ds106, and it got picked up by ESPN that semester. Crazy of the implications of creating and sharing. Here is the full video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSAkXJgvBk4
And here is Wes Clark's original post on the sport from his 2010 blog post: ds106.umwblogs.org/2010/12/03/foosketball-there-are-no-gu...
#wire106: Ain't nobody out to get me...
First GIF of 6 for the 6 GIF Summary of a Wire episode. I chose Episode 5 "The Pager"
http:/
Hurkle
Can't get enough of the words of the day from the Katexic Clippings newsletter: http:/
Bubbles Dangerous Caper in S01E09 #wire106 #ds106
Here is a seen from S01E09 "Game Day" wherein Bubbles steals a bag of drugs from a dealer with a fishhook from the rooftop. Image credit goes to Scenes from the Wire Tumblr.
F**king with Avon Barksdale's Morale #wire106 #ds106
This is an animated GIF from Season 1, Episode 9 of The Wire: "Game Day" care of the awesome Scenes from the Wire Tumblr.
#wire106 on reserve
Shannon Hauser just gave me the heads up that the DVD set of The Wire is now in Simpson Library and on reserve for the semester. It's all in the game, yo.
DVDs are quickly becoming the VHS of our time. Buy them while you can.
I saw these two DVDs at Big Lots for $3 each. Steven Soderbergh's The Underneath, a remake of the 1940s noir Criss-Cross, is a favorite of mine form the 1990s---a little known gem. The other is Ralph Bakshi's remastered rotoscoped masterpiece Lord of the Rings. This was a find, and I left behind a two-disc Boyz in the Hood, Bullitt, and quite a few more. I'll be back!
Dukes of #ds106
Care of this awesome tweet from D'Arcy Norman:
@dlnorman: @jimgroom I found your next theme… pic.twitter.com/vVkN3gjpfV
"Walking Distance"
Watched the Twilight Zone episode"Walking Distance" this evening. May be my favorite of them all.
Triple Troll Wire Epigraph
New assignment for #wire106 inspired by the Troll Quotes. Take an epigraph from one of the episodes and attribute it to another, related figure. Finally, adorn the quote and author with an image of a third, different character from the series. This way, nothing about your image is correct, and you’re trolling fans of The Wire with all three characters at once.
