Stuff I Want to Talk About

Want Safe Skies? Strap This Remote-Controlled Stun Device To Yourself!

brownmattc — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:24:58 GMT

http://consumerist.com/tag/department-of-homeland-security/?i=5022513&t=want-safe-skies-strap-this-remote+controlled-stun-device-to-yourself Make of this what you will, as the story comes from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's church-owned Washington Times and may be more fiction than fact, but "a senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser." Yes, the EMD Safety Bracelet from Lamperd Less Lethal is designed to make flying a fun experience once again. Just check out everything it can do: - Take the place of an airline boarding pass. - Contain personal information about the traveler. - Be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage. - Shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes. Lamperd Less Lethal—oddly, that name doesn't make us confident about either the effectiveness or the safety of their products—has an entertaining instructional video on their site that explains why this is such a great idea. It opens with footage of the planes hitting the WTC towers, just in case you've forgotten, then describes how all the current solutions are ineffective—biometrics can't spot "new" terrorists who aren't in the database, Air Marshalls can inflict friendly fire on nearby passengers, etc. But they've got an answer in the EMD Safety Bracelet! Check out these handy graphics if you don't believe them: Okay, we doctored that last one, but you know there'd be a technical glitch at some point that turns everyone on the manifest into a herky-jerky bag of twitching muscles. Pretzels everywhere! Plastic drink cups flying! You have to admit, it'd be funny to see (so long as your own EMD Safety Bracelet didn't go off at the same time.) Lamperd Less Lethal insists that this is a great idea, and that passengers won't mind being figuratively collared like slaves out of a bad sci-fi movie: Wearing an EMD safety bracelet for a few hours during a flight is a small inconvenience to ensure their safe arrival...many if not most passengers would happily opt for the extra security of the EMD safety bracelet. We'll admit, it would certainly make it easier for flight attendants to take care of drunks, fashion victims, unruly children, and the occasional masturbator. But if DHS wants to take security this far, why not just anesthetize passengers and load us up on gurneys, where we'll remain blissfully unconscious as we're shipped like freight across the globe? It would be more dignified than wearing a stun bracelet.

Out of town

brownmattc — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:40:06 GMT

I have noticed recently that I am waaaaaay to white. Solution = Sun. See you in two weeks.

Travel coming to an end

brownmattc — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:41:05 GMT

Oh and how about this for a funny story: I was recently back in SF for a weekend because some friends of mine were throwing this fantastic Carnival Party just around the corner from my house... On the first night that I was back I woke up in the middle of the night and needed to use the restroom. So I climb out of bed and walk over to the door and open it only to find that the door that I opened leads to a closet. An my half awake state of mind I think to myself "what fucking hotel room am I in and where is the bathroom in this place". Then after a couple of minutes of stumbling around the room in a half asleep daze I find the light switch only to discover that I am in my own room. Thursday, March 27th will be a very happy day for me. I will be returning to San Francisco after two months of intensive travel. I have been back and forth across this country and seen everywhere from Phoenix to Dallas to NYC to DC to Philly to Atlanta and a few cities in between. It will be nice to have a rest from all of the travel for a couple of weeks. On March 27th I will have accumulated: 29921 flight miles with US Airways on 25 different airplanes 55 hotel nights with Marriott 70 days of car rentals with Dollar (I have had a car rented for every single day since Feb 6 except for 2 days) All of this so far this year. So what is the moral of the story? I need a vacation, therefore since I cannot seem to remember where I live anyway, I think I will go to Mexico for a couple of weeks. So on the 18th of April I am boarding a plane and will be out until the beginning of May. I will not be touching a computer for those two weeks, my cell phone will not work, and I will be drinking at my Adults Only, All-Inclusive hotel without a care in the world.

Blow this Joint

brownmattc — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:49:36 GMT

I am out. See you all in 2 months. I will be back in April. Have fun and take lots of pictures. XOXO Matt

Candidate Calculator

brownmattc — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:47:36 GMT

Which 2008 Presidential Candidate Agrees With You? Answer the questions below to find the 2008 presidential candidate that best aligns with your beliefs. More than 2 million people have already filled it out. Give it a try! http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

East Coast Ski Resorts

brownmattc — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 04:00:51 GMT

I am a boy bred and raised in the West and therefore when it comes to all things East Coast I don't have a clue. Therefore I am looking for some suggestions on places to go skiing on the East Coast. I will be in Boston next week and I am going to try to get in at least one day of skiing while I am there. I know I need to drive a little bit to get somewhere but that's just the problem... Where is somewhere? Which ones are good? Which should I avoid? Which ones are close enough to make a day trip out of? FYI, I am a class 3 skier and diamonds are way more fun on a mountain than on someones finger. I will also be flying to Philadelphia and New York in a month or so and would love suggestions on where to go out of those cities as well. Anyone have a suggestion for me? I would really appreciate a hint or two. PS. The guy in this picture is in heaven PPS. I dare any boarder reading this to try powder that deep. LOL. Did you bring your shovel?

Vacations Needed

brownmattc — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:48:18 GMT

I need vacationS. Yes multiple vacations. Since I have some time on two of them I will combine (not enough space in the digital world. Must save white space). Looking for suggestions... Vacation #1: So I want to go somewhere for Presidents day. We all get Monday the 18th off and I don't want to sit around in SF wasting yet another 3 day weekend. Anyone have any good ideas for a 3 day vacation? I was originally thinking somewhere warm but I think I might save that for a longer trip... So anything is good. Whistler, Vegas, Tahoe, Los Cabos, Cancun... Ya I'm easy and undecided. Vacation #2: I have been traveling a lot for work and have just about seen everywhere left in this country that I want to go to so I want to go somewhere foreign for about 7 days. I am thinking I will leave on May 16th and return to the states on or about May 29th. Yes I know, strange dates to pick but I have reasons... So Where to go for a week and a half? Not quite enough time to go to Europe, could go to Asia; Australia would be nice but have looked at airfare (why is it so expensive to fly down there?); Central America? That was so 2 years ago. Vacation #2 plan B: Anyone been on a good Spring Break in a while? Ibiza is only $1000 from SF. There are other fun places to go in mid-late March.... Can I still pretend I am young enough to go to spring break? Should I? So if you have any suggestions of fun, off the path places to go let me know. If I don't come up with anything I might find myself trying to sneak into Cuba or something... And you know how much the American government loves to give us Americans the freedom to travel... See you all somewhere...

WTF? Crazy

brownmattc — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:18:02 GMT

Crazy is the word of the weekend. I have too much to say and it would take about 4 different posts so I am saying none of the above. Not incredible, not boring, not nothing. Simply crazy. Why am I up at 3:16am on a school night? Crazy?

30 days to 30

brownmattc — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:31:52 GMT

December 7 @ 8:50am marks the official start of my 4th decade on this planet. And as I have been reflecting on the last 3 I find that I am extremely pleased with them. I find myself loving the fact that I got to spend nearly a full decade living on a wonderful island and surrounded by wonderful people. I now also find myself in another absolutely amazing place surrounded by equally wonderful people. I see my career growing by leaps and bounds and I could not be happier with the direction it has taken as of late. Overall there isn’t much in my life that I could possible complain about. Of course there are things that could have been done differently, other roads that could have been walked, bridges that could have been built and ones that could not have been burned, but really; if any of those things were different than would my life be as fantastic as it is now? I guess as I move on to this new decade, in a new home, I find myself very content and couldn’t be asking for much more. Thank you to all who have hepled to make the last 30 the amazing experiance it has been.

Thanksgiving

brownmattc — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:13:53 GMT

So who is doing what for Thanksgiving? Does everyone in SF have family here that they will be with or do we have a bunch of people that have nothing to do?

Skiing/Boarding in Tahoe

brownmattc — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:15:25 GMT

Who wants to go to Tahoe this winter? I want to rent a house on the south shore with a bunch of friends and I want to know who is in. I was thinking somehwere in February would be a great time to get in some pre-spring skiing when the snow will still be fantastic. So let me know if you want to go.

Keep your Eyes Open

brownmattc — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:20:02 GMT

Recently while in Hawaii I was walking down the path leading back to Civilization from my favorite waterfalls when I noticed this little tiny mushroom on a log in the middle of the trail. It was so amazing that growing right there where it was in mortal peril was this wonderfully colorful little mushroom. It was only about the size of a quarter from top to bottom and I am surprised I even saw it. It reminds me that no matter where you are in life you need to keep your eyes open and look for those little wonders that are all around you. After all if you are too busy to enjoy yourself then you will miss out on some of the most magical things life has to offer.

LoveFest

brownmattc — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:32:18 GMT

Oh my god. How much fun was that? Find a plane, put it on a float, add some fur and beds, and dance for 8 hours. I think I have died and gone to heaven. Now throw in a rave in the middle of all the government buildings with full costumes, party people, and the best dj’s in the city playing and you have a recipe for one of the best days life can give you. Hope you all enjoyed yourself as much as I did.

The Way Back Machine

brownmattc — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:51:13 GMT

Oh my god, time for a blast from the pre-high school days. Do you remember Practical Man and his legendary fight with Triangle Man? Or what they are calling Constantinople these days? And did you know the Sun Is a Mass of Incandesce Mass? And I know I still have a Birdhouse In My Soul. These guys released a new album and they are playing in SF on Sunday. I saw them, oh, about 15 years ago and it will be a real trip down memory lane. God to think about those days just makes me sit back and laugh at myself.....

A Sense of Permanency

brownmattc — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:47:49 GMT

As some of our friends are packing their stuff for the long haul across the country (*sniff* *sniff*) I have just gotten a new sense of permanency as my new furniture just arrived. The movers just left and I am in the process off putting things into my new dresser and lounging on my new bed. It is rather amusing that this is the 3rd set of bedroom furniture that I have purchased in the last year… Hopefully I will not be moving across any more oceans soon. I am thinking that this set will be staying with me for a while (at least I hope). Now, it’s time to go to Bed Bath and Beyond to get all of those last things to touch a place up so that I can finely feel like I am home.

Burning Man 2007 Pictures

brownmattc — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:58:36 GMT

Hey All, I got around to posting up all of my pictures from the playa. If I saw you out there than you can find yourself here: www.matthewbrown.info Enjoy!

GO! - Enjoy $9* One-Way Fares!

brownmattc — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 03:27:35 GMT

This just hit my inbox. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enjoy $9* One-Way Fares! go! through the rest of 2007 with amazing $9* one-way fares! We are offering $9* fares on flights from September 5 through December 31, 2007. These great deals are only available for purchase until tomorrow night! Hurry, Tickets are on sale now and must be purchased by Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at 11:59pm at http://www.iflygo.com/. Black out dates of November 21-22, November 26-27, and December 20-24, 2007 apply. By being a valued go! customer, you hear about these specials first. go!Miles email updates let you know about our great specials before anyone else. To take advantage of these great deals, log onto http://www.iflygo.com/ and start saving today! Do you have friends or family that keep missing out on our promotions? Many of our specials are advertised only to our go!Miles email members and on our website. Tell them to go to http://www.iflygo.com/ and sign up for our go!Miles program and our Email Distribution. They will hear the news first! go! Hawai'i's Low Fare Airline

Playa Weather

brownmattc — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:20:03 GMT

So I am sure we have all heard that it is going to be extra dusty because of no rain but what about the rest of the weather? I just did a search on Weather Channel.com and it says that it is going to be Sunny with less than a 10% chance of rain and temps ranging from a low of 60 to a high of 99. So I don't know if that will make it warm at night or cold but lets all pray for it to be warm. On the other hand I have just recived the follwoing email: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey all, Our advance scout and beanstalk builder extraordinaire Eray is already on the playa, and sends word that it is COLD at night ... the weather could change day to day (we've been hearing it's been warm up till the last couple days), but if you are still wondering what to pack and how much warm stuff to bring, stop wondering and bring warm stuff! It's so much better to be able to dress for the weather and go out and have fun, instead of cowering in your sleeping bag knowing you're missing out on everything because it's the only place to keep warm (believe me, I spent one year doing that, after getting lulled into complacency by one warm year and not bringing anything warm the next.) I repeat -- bring warm clothes! Shane's blanket plan is sounding better and better, too, so if you have stuff to help with that, please do. In other news, I picked up the rental truck; that went smoothly and the 24 footer is gloriously huge; space shouldn't be a problem. See you all soon! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Strange Pictures

brownmattc — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:11:36 GMT

So I have had this roll of film floating around for a very long time. I have never had any idea what was on it and was simply too lazy to have it developed. It has been at least 5 years since I had a film camera and whatever the pictures were I was fairly sure that I wasn't interested.... This roll has moved through at least 4 homes with me and has always just been in that junk box.... So today I went and had it developed because I was tired of seeing it in my life.... And it's the strangest thing; The roll of film doesn't even belong to me. I only recognize one person on the entire roll and he is in a couple of pictures but most of the pictures are of him out on military assignment in some foreign country. Now this is especially puzzling because I do not believe that I have seen this guy since he deployed a long time ago. An by long ago I mean that the date stamp on the pictures is from 3/98 and 6/98. Now I don't think that date is correct because I was friends with him when I lived in Kailua so that would have been from 98-2002. I am very confused as to why I have this roll of film and where it came from. How does a roll of film from someone you haven't seen in 5 or 6 years show up amongst your stuff?

Find some time to stare at the night sky this weekend

brownmattc — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 21:46:43 GMT

So in case you haven't heard.... This weekend is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, the Perseid's. This is an old comet that broke up and our little planet goes through the debris every year. It will peak on Sunday night but should provide great viewing on Saturday and Monday nights also. So take some time out to go somewhere nice and dark and look up.

OMG I am freeking out

brownmattc — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:22:33 GMT

YIPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love San Francisco. Lets see here: Hours 1-4 - Arrive at 10:15pm, go out for drinks, sleep. Day 1 - Wake up and have 2 phone interviews, get lost downtown and have a very lovley walk, have an in person interview, get dropped off at home by the hiring manager. Head out for beers and run into an old friend. Sleep Day 2 - Blow off my appointment with a recruiter. Get a call back from another recruiter. GET MY JOB OFFER!!!!!!! ACCEPT MY JOB OFFER!!!! Do the Happy Dance!!!!!! Thats right, it took me less than 48 hours upon arrival in this city to litterally double my salary. OH MY GOD!!!!! So I start on Monday with a company called Everynetwork doing IT Consulting. I am so excited!!!! YIPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Predictive Index - Behavior Test

brownmattc — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:37:13 GMT

So for a job I just interviewed for they had me take the Predictive Index test. This consisted of two questions where you had to check off adjetives from a list of about 30. Here are my results ~~~~~~~~~~ The results of the Predictive Index® survey should always be reviewed by a trained Predictive Index analyst. The PI Reporter® provides you with a brief overview of the results of the Predictive Index® and prompts you to consider many aspects of the results not contained in the overview. If you have not yet attended the Predictive Index® Management Workshop, please consult someone who has attended in order to complete the report. STRONGEST BEHAVIORS Matthew’s PI Pattern is extremely wide, which means that his behaviors are very strongly expressed and his needs are very strongly felt. Matthew will most strongly express the following behaviors: - Strongly socially-focused, he quickly and naturally empathizes with other points of view, emotions, or troubles. Positive, accepting communication designed to reduce conflict and increase interpersonal harmony. - Very open in sharing information about himself and what he knows. - Needs a collaborative environment where he can be a big help; rarely says ‘no’ when asked for something. - Needs collaborative team environment. Puts team/company goals before his own. Promotes teamwork by widely sharing authority. - Relatively informal and outgoing with others. Communicates in an open, lively, flexible manner, drawing others into the conversation. - More interested in people, building relationships, and teamwork than technical matters. Generally affable, optimistic, and trusting. - More focused on goals and the people he needs to get there than the details or plans; comfortable delegating details. Matthew is an outgoing, talkative, very friendly individual, a lively and stimulating communicator. He is a good mixer, poised, active and responsive in social situations. The complete extrovert, he is informal and uninhibited in his behavior, understands people well and is capable of using that understanding to gain the friendship and cooperation of others. It is important t him to be liked and accepted, and he expresses himself to individuals or groups with warmth and enthusiasm. He easily understands and accepts other viewpoints, ideas, and feelings, and can be effective at getting diverse groups to come together and collaborate. Relatively unconcerned about details and often inclined to consider them unimportant, Matthew expresses himself in general terms, aimed more at gaining the interest or attention of others than in communicating specific, factual information. His interest in details and specifics which are not crucial to his success is, at best, casual. As such, he focuses on the ‘big picture’ goals for himself, and if appropriate, his colleagues, subordinates, or team. He’s flexible about how he attains these goals, often thinking ‘out of the box’ and collaborating widely to get there. His work pace is faster-than-average and he can learn quickly, but rather generally, if left on his own. Because of his strong social orientation, group learning, mentors, and coaches are most effective. Cheerful and upbeat, he makes friends easily and enjoys doing things for people, although he is rather casual about exactly how he does things. His friendly, enthusiastic style makes others feel welcome. Strongly persuasive, he has complete confidence in his ability to gain others’ trust and buy-in; he’s persistent and won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES To maximize his effectiveness, productivity, and job satisfaction, consider providing Matthew with the following: - Frequent, regular contact and communication with people - Recognition for work done right, bearing in mind that rewards which give Matthew additional status in the eyes of his coworkers, friends, and family are particularly valuable to him and are strong motivators for him. - The opportunity to be involved in a variety of different kinds of activities - A flexible work environment, where he’s evaluated on his results, team-building, or ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions, rather than following an exact process to get there - If necessary for his kind of work, thorough training, with intense concentration and discipline in teaching him the details, routines and systems which are basic to his work. Follow up will be necessary on any specifics or details.

Go - Enjoy $1* Fares on July 28th and 30th

brownmattc — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:38:17 GMT

Enjoy $1* Fares on Monday July 30th Do we really need a reason to offer seats for $1*? We don't think so. go! Because You Can! We are offering $1* seats for travel on Monday, July 30, 2007. The $1* tickets must be purchased as part of a roundtrip and a one-night stay is required. As an exclusive to our loyal customers, we are offering all remaining seats on Saturday July 28th for $29** one-way. Those seats are also available on http://www.iflygo.com. Tickets will go on sale on Friday July 27 at 7am and must be purchased by Sunday July 29 at 11:59pm at http://www.iflygo.com/.

Survival Guide

brownmattc — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:18:07 GMT

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee My 2007 Survival Guide arrived today. So I am declaring it. Official panic mode. Shit, 38 days until the man burns.

Google Earth for Non-profits

brownmattc — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:30:25 GMT

I was checking out Google today and I found some interesting information about Google Earth for non-profit orginizations: Today we're formally launching Google Earth Outreach, a program designed to empower non-profit groups with the resources, tools, and inspiration that they need to leverage the power of Google Earth for their cause. This is where public service groups can find online guides and video tutorials, inspiring case studies and a gallery of high-quality, public-benefit KML. We are offering free Google Earth Pro licenses to qualified non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. And the Earth Outreach team is also moderating a forum to foster discussion, exchange ideas, and give technical support. (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/introducing-google-earth-outreach.html). The first couple minutes of the video on the link above show some of the ways non-profits are using Google Earth to their advanatage. So if you know a non-profit that could benefit from arial photography you should let them know and have them get the free Google Earth Pro license.... Thats $400 worth of software for free....