I’m not a very daring individual. I only joyride down a mountain when snowboarding — never racing.

So it comes as no surprise that the fastest I’ve ever been in a car was 136 miles per hour. It was in my Dad’s 1988 Sterling with my brother behind the wheel while in high school. We were cruising down a hilly back road in Georgia with some friends and decided to see how fast we could go. We chickened out at 136.

What’s the fastest you’ve ever been in a car?

Lindsey and I took the girls to a friend’s ranch in Heber City, Utah over the weekend (Many thanks, Jen and Morgan). In addition to a glut of food, college football, Liar’s Dice, Ticket to Ride, and Rock Band, we also went sledding. Here’s proof. (Most good-looking photos care of Quinn Gooch.) Continue reading…

I want to completely transition to Mac next month, having preferred my PowerBook to my Windows desktop for three years now. Only problem: after hours (and I do mean hours) of research, I can’t seem to find a viable alternative to QuickBooks Online, which only runs on Internet Explorer 6 or higher, and therefore unavailable on Mac.

I’d prefer not to run Boot Camp to quickly invoice someone or receive payment. Any ideas, small business Mac users? You’re my only hope, as a lack of accounting software is the only thing holding me back from fully basking in the Macintosh waters. Thanks in advance.

I went to lunch today with an old business school buddy. We always have a good time making fun of brainless ideas while trying to make a honest buck. Today, we ridiculed some of the following business cliches, which are beyond stale and should never be used; otherwise you’ll sound like everyone else and influence few: Continue reading…

Speaking of typography, the introduction to Designing with Type provides an important lesson for anyone using copy to produce a word document, which is everyone these days.

“Technology has not changed how we read. There are twenty-six letters and we still read them from left to right, one line at a time. So while typesetting methods, typeface designs, and fashions in typography layout may continue to evolve, we must never lose sight of two facts: type is still meant to be read, and typography, by its very nature, is a conservative art.”

When it comes to designing with fonts, readability is paramount. For anyone still using heavy amounts of 10 point tiny text because “it looks cleaner,” you’re stuck in the past (circa 1999-2001 to be exact).

Lindsey and I gave few gifts for Christmas this year — virtually none to friends and family (gulp). I justified the stinginess given the imminent economic apocalypse.

Now, as the wee hours of Christmas are upon me, I feel like a grinch. Only I have no sleigh full of toys to return to double the size of my heart. Happy Holidays?

At least my three year-old is getting something.

Good song. Bonus points for anyone who can name what movie it’s in.

My latest: “PlayStation Home for the PlayStation 3 launched on Dec. 11, more than a year after the virtual world was first promised. The general online reaction to the free PS3 service? To put it lightly, boring, as shown by a scathing Penny Arcade cartoon on the service.

“So why would gamers, the overwhelming group of people buying the console, want to use it? “For the average gamer, it’s hard to meet other players,” says Jack Buser, who joined Sony eight months ago to become director of the new social community. “Home is a place where you can meet new friends, share interests, and play games. There are so many super cool people who own a PS3.”

Continue reading at Gamasutra…

After a three year hiatus, I exhumed my turntables from under my bed last month. The “wheels of steel” proudly rest beneath Joe DiMaggio in my office now, and I’ve officially rekindled my love for analog sound, which is deeper and more “alive” than the high-fidelity of DVDs.

It’s hard to explain the enjoyment that comes from mixing and interacting with records (also known as blending or beat-syncing). It’s not as liberating as playing an instrument, but it’s not as passive as listening to a CD or MP3. The turntables are more microphone than music player. The records are the voices and are highly manipulable, thanks to the hands-on approach and tempo-shifting abilities of standard direct-drive tables.

Continue reading…

Lindsey bought proper outerwear for the girls a couple months back and has been waiting for it to snow ever since. After much impatience, it came today. Here is proof.

Continue reading…