zack shapiro dot com

Foursquare or Gowalla?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:45:43 -0700

I have two apps on my phone and I hate using both. You decide which one I keep.

Vote based on which you use, which name you like better, whatever.

Which one gets the boot?

thingssheloves: The Secret Underground of Iceland (via Stuck in...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:10:59 -0700

thingssheloves:

The Secret Underground of Iceland (via Stuck in Customs)

Killer picture.

(Photo via archidave) “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0700

(Photo via archidave)

“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” in red, on a building. Incredible.

American Slang Tracklisting

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:57:08 -0700

So far it looks like there are three confirmed track names on The Gaslight Anthem’s 2010 release, American Slang:

Bring It On
American Slang
The Queen of Chelsea (confirmed by Rolling Stone)

Assignment: Hard News Leads

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0700

1. A survey was released yesterday by the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Baltimore shows that three to four children die every day in the United States from child abuse or neglect.

2. MILWAUKEE – Nearly 150 anti-abortion protesters were arrested yesterday on disorderly conduct charges after blocking the entrances to an abortion clinic, according to police.

3. A delivery driver from The Great Wall of China Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint yesterday at 718 S.W. Western Ave.

4. A manageable late night fire was extinguished by firefighters last night but not before doing $45,000 in damages to a two-bedroom home in the 2300 block of Main Street.

5. Murders in Maryland increased 53 percent in the first quarter of 2010 according to a crime report released yesterday by the Maryland State Bureau of Investigation.

6. Damages to the Earth’s ozone layer, which absorbs the Sun’s harmful cancer-causing ultraviolet rays, are increasing, according to a report released yesterday from the United Nations Environment Program.

7. SANTA ANA, Calif. - A local woman was charged with attempted murder yesterday after dousing her disabled husband with rubbing alcohol and attempting to set him on fire, according to police.

8. The dropping prices of broadband Internet has led the number of users to surpass that of dial-up users.

9. PRINCETON, N.J. - Princeton University has limited the number of high grades that can be given per class in order to crackdown on grade inflation.

10. As many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, health and behavior problems because they aren’t meeting their minimum sleep requirements, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

365 Project | Day 4 Today I made a chart of my favorite...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:37:35 -0700

365 Project | Day 4

Today I made a chart of my favorite musicians throughout my lifetime. I connected other bands I found through particular artists too. Also, I included major people who have influenced my music taste.

The whole thing is pretty rough at this point. I’m happy I got a lot of my ideas down though. Next comes revision.

My guest post on TechThinker - No Social Media Saturdays

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0700

My guest post on TechThinker - No Social Media Saturdays:

I wrote a post for Aaron over at TechThinker.com expanding the concept of No Email Saturdays. I’ve been toying with the idea of expanding my email day off to cut out social media sites as well.

I’ll write more about No SocMed Saturdays as they unfold.

Assignment: Quick Editing

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:30:00 -0700

PANORA, Iowa – A small town welcomed home one of its soldiers Friday. Instead of jubilant well-wishers, there were 525 mourners who packed United Methodist Church.

To the rest of the country, Army Spec. Michael Mills was one of 191 Americans killed in the war. Though to Panora residents he was one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded.

To the 1,100 people here, Mike Mills was the 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army.

His funeral Friday provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.

After the ceremony, not a parade, but a stream of cars that stretched down Main Street from the church to the West Cemetery.

There were flags at half-staff and red, white and blue ribbons tied to flower sprays that surrounded the altar. And there were tears – of grief, not joy.

The Buffaloes Remain Strong At Home

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:00:00 -0700

The Big XII is strong at home and the Colorado Buffaloes are no exception. The Buffs spun past Iowa State Saturday, beating the Cyclones 75-72.

Cory Higgins scored a season high 33 points to increase the Buffs’ home record to 12-3.

“I’m extremely proud of our team effort,” said CU head coach Jeff Bzdelik.

In addition to Higgins’ 33 points, Marcus Relphorde, Alec Burks and Casey Crawford combined for another 33. A team effort, indeed.

“We’re a growing team,” said Higgins, who moved into 12th place on CU’s list of all-time scorers.

The Buffs are currently tied for eighth place in the Big XII along with Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Coach Bzdelik said that the team’s record does not necessarily reflect its level of play.

After playing close games at home against ranked opponents Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State, Bzdelik has begun to turn the Buffs around.

Posting an overall record of 13-15 and 4-10 in conference play, the Buffs have two games left before the Big XII tournament. Coach Bzdelik has the chance to reach a coaching milestone at Colorado, finishing the season at .500.

With upcoming games at Nebraska and home against Texas Tech, the Buffs have a chance to finish strong.

“We’ve got to get better every day,” Bzdelik said.

Days 1-3 of my 365 Project. I missed my camera so I thought...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:03:31 -0700

Day 1/365

Day 2/365

Day 3/365

Days 1-3 of my 365 Project.

I missed my camera so I thought I’d pick it up and do something with it every day. I don’t know what kind of path the project will take but I’m excited for it. I hope you’ll follow along.

The rest of my pictures are available on my Flickr.

Frank Turner - The Ballad of Me and My Friends (Live at Asbury...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:35:15 -0700

Frank Turner - The Ballad of Me and My Friends (Live at Asbury Lanes)

Few musicians are as cool as Frank Turner. Some musicians have a complex where they stand behind a microphone and project themselves to the world. Not Frank. And that’s what makes him one of the greatest.

“The Ballad of Me and My Friends” is my favorite song of his because it’s about the collective, not the guy on the stage.

Watch the video. He says what he wants to, moves the microphone and steps into the crowd to sing with the audience. True punk rock, if you ask me.

Assignment: Blogging a Scene

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:18:12 -0700

The fifth floor of the UMC is a quiet place. It might as well be a nap room. As close as one can get to being in a cupola on CU’s campus, the fifth floor of the UMC is a pretty unique place. Natural light illuminates the room, bouncing off of a trophy along the north wall and carpet that’s meant not to show dirt, lining the floor.

Sure, you can find a quiet spot in Norlin Library among a million other stressed out college students, florescent lights, and humming computers but up here it’s pretty relaxing. Green and blue couches line the room, two tables in the middle make themselves available for those who don’t come up here to nap.

The quiet is implied through dirty looks given to students on the phone and the rare laptop user who types too loudly. The silence makes the clicking of laptop keys sound like horses running the Kentucky Derby, their horseshoed feet clicking against the ground.

There aren’t many words spoken up here. The only sounds permeate from laptop keyboards, as well as cars and buses that pass on Broadway, just west of the building. These sounds come and go, gently rousing the occasional student out of his midday nap.

“Are you gonna leave now?” a male student whispers to a female student. She, wearing a black knit cap, says no, and pulls out her blue and grey Dell laptop to continue her work. He leaves. It’s quieter now.

Other than this, no words are spoken.

The sun setting behind the Flatirons reflects off of the four black and white photographs, each wrapped in black frames with white padding, that line the east wall. It fees like a hotel lounge without the implied stress of business men coming and going, powered by coffee and caffeine.

A sign on the east wall says that the maximum occupancy of this room is 87 people. 87 people would ruin this room undoubtedly. A sole security camera monitors this perfect room, a room away from the college bustle, a room a step closer to serenity.

(photos: Kid_Benjamin and belvidesigns) This summer when...

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:26:47 -0700

(photos: Kid_Benjamin and belvidesigns)

This summer when I’m back on the East Coast I need to take a trip up to Asbury Park. Drive up the Turnpike with the windows down and some New Jersey punk playing on the radio. Maybe I’ll see a show at the Stone Pony and then poke around the boardwalk for a bit. Oh, and I need to end up at Asbury Lanes too. That’s a must.

Inbox Zero - Save yourself some time

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:40:00 -0700

Inbox Zero - Save yourself some time:

Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero articles have been around for a few years now. They’re still just as good at saving your precious time as they were back then.

For any inbox, overflowing or not: read them.

In addition to all of Merlin’s tips, I’d suggest one of my own (shamelessly): No Email Saturdays.

I don’t remember how I came upon Soulver but it has since...

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:57:34 -0700

I don’t remember how I came upon Soulver but it has since turned into an indispensable calculator app on my iPhone.

Right now I’m using it to figure out where I should live next year in Boulder based on a few factors:

Square footage divided by monthly rent
Convenience (proximity to the University of Colorado)
Furnished vs. unfurnished
Lease length

Thanks Soulver!

(source: question_everything) As a kid I always questioned why...

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:01:22 -0700

(source: question_everything)

As a kid I always questioned why the adults hated snow so much. It got me off of school, I got to play with my friends and whenever it snowed life was generally good.

This year, for the first time in my life, I found myself asking the snow to stop and to stay away. Could have been my hometown of Baltimore getting pounded with 80+ inches of snow this year; it could have been from the lack of snow melt in Boulder even though temperatures reached over 50 degrees some days. It could have been the fact that in Colorado they’ve never heard the word “snow day.” I’m not sure.

It scares me a little. I don’t want to be that person, the cranky snow-hater. I want to stay as that wide-eyed kid praying for a snow day.

Dean and Rove Serve Up a Boring Debate

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:17:00 -0700

Students and Boulder community members arrived in throngs to Mackey Auditorium in hopes of seeing two hours of heated debate between former Democratic Party leader, Howard Dean, and Republican political strategist, Karl Rove.

Students and local residents didn’t exactly get what they wanted, summarizing the meeting as slow to start and picking up more during the question and answer segment.

“It was a little sleepy for the first eight-tenths of it,” said Nick Rosen, a 35-year-old Boulder resident and registered Democrat.

After opening statements, Dean and Rove discussed positions on health care, the stimulus bill, the national deficit, and Medicare. Dean spoke in length about how both Republicans and Democrats need to take responsibility for getting America back on track.

“It was kind of like Fox or MSNBC, no need to leave your couch,” Rosen said, in summary.

Nathan Rist, a senior architecture major and usher at Mackey Auditorium is a veteran of political debates hosted at the University of Colorado. He categorized his feelings as frustrated.

“A lot people come in with their own political opinions and they could really care less what’s actually spoken on stage. A lot of people probably came in and they had the exact same opinions that they came out with,” said Rist.

David Burg, a 25-year-old CU graduate didn’t agree with Rove’s statements in the debate but said that he had a profound respect for Rove’s contributions to political strategy. Burg cited Rove’s use of census data and how it redefined how elections are now handled.

“He is fairly close to being a political genius,” said Burg.

Both Rosen and Rist got excited once the microphone was turned towards the audience.

“There was this awesome question from this activist in the audience who asked Howard Dean why there had been no special prosecutor assigned to George Bush’s selling of the Iraq war to the American public,” Rosen said.

After defending both parties’ faults in the handling of the beginnings of the Iraq war, Dean said that he thought it stemmed from former Vice President Dick Cheney lying to former President George W. Bush.

The crowed erupted with huge applause.

Rove told the audience that Dean’s statement was the most divisive thing he has heard Dean say.

“It made me realize that [Iraq] is still a real hot button issue for the Democrats,” Rosen said.

Dean/Rove debate budget ideas

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:46:16 -0700

A preview on students going to the debate, will they approach it with an open mind or a pre-formed political bias
Origins of the program - who brought Howard Dean and Karl Rove to CU? Why?
Reactions to the event from student-run political groups
Did the event sell out? Is there a market at CU for more political lectures/debates?
Did they comment on Obama and his policies? What did they have to say about the way Obama is running the country? Student reactions?

Oh hey, Google’s got a new project. Somebody used their...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:12:26 -0700

Oh hey, Google’s got a new project.

Somebody used their free company time to copy Twitter.

News - Study: Righties Live Longer Than Lefties

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:20:01 -0700

Right-handed people live an average of nine years longer than left-handed people according to a recent study comparing death and accident rates conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, which was concluded last year, examined the death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties. Diane Halpern, a psychology professor at Cal State San Bernardino, and Stanley Coren, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, wanted to know why there are fewer left-handed people among the elderly population.

“The results are striking in their magnitude,” Halpern said. Halpern is right-handed.

According to the data, left-handed people were four times more likely to die from injuries sustained while driving and six times more likely to die from accounts of all kinds.

In addition, the study found that right-handed females tended to outlive their left-handed counterparts by six years. Right-handed males tended to outlive their left-handed counterparts by 11 years.

Why are left-handed people more susceptible to death? Halpern believes engineering is the culprit.

“Almost all engineering is gear to the right hand and right foot,” Halpern said.

“There are many more car and other accidents among let-handers because of their environment.”

The study, however, should be interpreted cautiously. Halpern noted that it is not a predictor of the lifespan of any individual. Females studied lived to around the age of 78 and 72 and males lived to ages 73 and 62.

Researchers initially believed that the difference in numbers could be attributed to the early 20th century in which most left-handed individuals were forced to switch in order to accommodate themselves to a right-handed world. Disproving their original hypothesis, Halpern and Coren found that the number of left-handed people alive paled in comparison to the number of living right-handed people.

“It’s important that mothers of left-handed children not be alarmed and not try to change which hand a child uses,” Halpern said.

“There are many, many old left-handed people.”