About Griffin Technology's NYComicCon Super POWER Contest

Forgive me, readers, for my extended absence. I recently discovered a sewing machine and a cookbook in my closet. We also launched Deidox this week! These last weeks of January have been quite busy. Matt's birthday is tomorrow, too, and I have also been preparing his birthday present (which, actually, has nothing to do with either sewing or cooking but has required some sneaky cleaning).

But this week I also discovered how productive I can be when Matt isn't around! I mean don't get me wrong, but he left for the day to spend time with his family at Disneyland; and without him around to start extended conversations about theology, science fiction, or the latest on Ain't It Cool News as soon as I walk in from work, I realized that, there are indeed, several hours left in the day with which to sew, cook, read, write, and harass.

Anyway, I intend to take greater advantage of those hours in the future with my blog.

-- end apology. --

-- begin dissemination of information: --

NYComicCon Super POWER Contest

Slip out of your secret identity and into something more Super
with Griffin Technology's NYComicCon Super POWER Contest

You could score two passes to New York ComicCon and a veritable phonebooth full of Griffin power gear. Here's how:

• Upload a photo of you disguised as your favorite super hero to our this Flickr group no later than 4pm CST Thursday, Jan.29th.

• We'll randomly choose one winner at that time.

• The lucky (super) winner wins:
- two weekend passes to the New York Comic Con (weekend passes only, travel and accommodation are not included), February 6th - 8th, 2009.
- one PowerDock4 to charge up to four iPods or iPhones. (Please note, PowerDock is not approved for charging communicators, weapons or energy binders )
- one TuneFlex AUX with SmartClick, so you can mount, charge and remote control your iPod or iPhone in your massively modified car/jet/sub/star frigate.
- one AirCurve to acoustically amplify your iPhone when your arch enemy has left you powerless.
- one Clarifi case to protect your iPhone 3G and to shoot photos with the built-in, close-up lens of your enemy's secret plans.

Approximate total retail value $300.00.

Don't forget to tell a friend about this exciting opportunity to mingle with other like-minded super heros, plus score some power-enhancing Griffin products.

Details on New York Comic Con here: www.nycomiccon.com

Am I planning on participating in this?
HECK YES!
Pictures will surely follow.

Battlestar Galactica Props Auction!

Today was a very exciting today. Not only do Battlestar Galactica fans finally get to geek out in union as the premiere of the final season of the series begins, if they were in the Pasadena area, they also got to view the props at the Pasadena Convention Center.


Battlestar Galactica Prop Auction
(15 seconds of the floor from my super old cell phone)

Upon entering the well-laid out floor of the East Pavillion, guests were greeted by attendents and security dressed in jumpsuits, uniforms, and other various costumes from the series. My jealousy nearly overwhelmed me - I saw one of my professors Azusa Pacific University (Tom Param) in a Viper uniform.

Everything from a full-fledged, functional (looking), lit-up Rapter to the boxing mouth guard of Starbuck was available for veiwing and bidding.

While the crowds were slimmer than I expected at lunch our today, all walks of life were present. Taking pictures behind the guard rail was Ronald Moore himself who, immediately after I had arrived, joined Michael Hogan to talk to a pair of girls explaining to Moore, "how different and un-sci-fi like Battlestar Galactica is!" I couldn't help but giggle at the attempts to justify their captivation with a science fiction (arguably science fiction and not sci-fi) television show.
An older Chinese woman with a wonderfully retro hair-do wondered the floor having her picture taken in front of the props. There was a familiar glow that gave away her nerdiness, but it was spread across a decidedly unexpected face. And then there were the folks who I would have loved to have lunch with- a group of middle-aged men, who alternated between glasses and pony-tails, comparing the mistakes of Babylon 5 to a potential catosrtrophic end to the Battlestar Galactica series... let's hope BSG does not meet a similar end...

Here are some pictures I took on a Nikon F70 I didn't know how to use... I will link to the better ones of Dan Portnoy, who attended with me and knew how to use his camera, a bit later:




Also... MICHAEL HOGAN! I WISH I HAD HAD THE GUTS TO ASK FOR A PICTURE WITH YOU!!!

Debris from a destroyed wind turbine which reports have claimed was hit by a UFO has been sent for forensic analysis in Germany.

AH! Ahhhhh... Matt and I spent Thursday night last week looking at YouTube alien videos including the following:

"Alien caught on CCTV"
"Alien Sighting REAL thing"
"Chad Hates Aliens"

But this is cool and kinda creepy:

The wind turbine at the centre of the mystery Photo: NEWSTEAM

A 65ft blade from the 290ft turbine fell off and a second was bent in the mysterious incident in Conisholme, Lincs, on Wednesday.

Hundreds of local witnesses claimed to have seen bright flashing spheres in the skies above the turbine, and many are convinced the damage was caused by a flying saucer.

Scientists at manufacturers Enercon have been looking into the mystery, and dismissed the theories that either a chunk of ice thrown from another turbine, or frozen urine dropped from
a passing plane, was the cause.

A source told The Sun: “It is impossible to get a lump of ice on a wind turbine blade big enough to cause that kind of damage, let alone be flung from one to another.

“Also, turbines have sensors in the blade. If they detect ice forming they turn themselves off.

“Additionally, any large lump of ice would not have melted so quickly in the cold weather and would probably have left a dent in the ground. No debris was found other than remains of the turbine.

“If there is a rational explanation, the investigation will find it.”

A lightning strike has also been ruled out, as there were no burn marks.

Ministry of Defence insiders have reportedly said the UFOs could be unmanned stealth bombers on test flights.

It is also possible that one of the blades had simply not been securely fixed, and fell off bending the other on its way down.

The results of the investigation being carried out by forensic scientists in Germany should be disclosed within a week.

Dale Vine, managing director of Ecotricity which owns the turbine, said:
“We’ve ruled out ice from other turbines or passing jets.

“We’ve examined the turbine, the fallen blade and the surrounding area. We have been crawling all over it. To make one of these blades fall off, or to bend it, takes a lot.”

Found on Mattgoesgreen.com"

E.D.A.R.

This video features Union Rescue Mission's CEO Andy Bales and a family at URM showing how the E.D.A.R.s work.¹

EDAR stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof - the cross between a shopping cart and single-person tent was inspired by President and founder of EDAR, Peter Samuelson, when he sought to provide the self-described needs the homeless he interviewed on his bicycle route.

Eric Lindeman and Jason Zasa are the creators of the current model of the EDAR having won a design competition Samuelson sponsored at Pasadena Art Center College of Design.

EDAR's are given free of charge to homeless individuals who are best able to benefit from their recycling and shelter capabilities. EDAR units also provide a sense of ownership and pride to those largely deprived of both. And as Peter Samuelson asks, "Well into the twenty-first century, if the best our advanced society can do for the hundreds of thousands of homeless human beings... men, women and children... who live among us is the cast-off box our refrigerator came in, what exactly does that say about us?"

Visit www.EDAR.org for more information

The shelters were particularly important to Union Rescue Mission and the other LA missions this winter season with the overwhelming increase in shelter needs. ABC Los Angeles reported last month:

Officials at a winter shelter in Burbank say they have seen a 1,000 percent increase in demand since their doors opened on Dec. 1.

In this video from urm.org, you can see how the regular living quarters at URM were altered to incorporate EDARs and provide more space for families this winter.

(Also... I did a vlog for CP a while back... you can watch me stumble over myself in the URM archive room here, if you like.)

¹Video first reviewed on The Hobo Soul

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