Archive for August, 2007

Aug 28 2007

Hipster Olympics

Published by kwikle under Films, SEO, User Experience

Ok I know i’ve had a ridiculous amount of lazy you tube postings lately. But this one had to go in.

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Aug 23 2007

Pecan Pie

Published by kwikle under Music

This song is about as perfect as they get for me and Mrs Wikle.
As I venture forth into the Great White North to have my arse eaten alive by mosquitoes and brave the frigid embrace of Mother Superior once again, have a good chuckle on Mr. Tweedy’s fine tune.
Keep in mind sometimes our better halves know what’s best for us better than we know ourselves.

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Aug 23 2007

Edge of the Horizon

Published by kwikle under Writing

I stood at the waters edge
as the white capped surge of the storm
races across the flat edge
of the horizon.
I look away from the
gray fold between
heaven and earth,
knowing it doesn’t end
or begin.
When I finally
slip into the cold water
pushing against steep
green faces,
I am caught by the wind
like a tiny kite,
a plastic toy for the Lake.
I don’t look at the horizon
like Hebrews don’t say the word G#d.

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Aug 19 2007

Unsalted, oh yeah!

Published by kwikle under Films, Great Lakes, Writing

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Aug 15 2007

Somewhere over the rainbow?

Published by kwikle under Films, Internet, Music

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Aug 12 2007

Kalamazoo Ultimate Disc League

Published by kwikle under Ultimate Frisbee

Sometimes it is good to start something new. Being the newbie, or “the dead weight”, is good for your soul. It teaches humility and patience.

I played in the Kalamazoo Ultimate Frisbee league , or KUDL league this summer at the insistence of Darrough West. I was hesitant at first remembering my many years on team sports playing soccer. (20+ years). I’ve probably spent more time chasing a soccer ball than most people have spent sleeping. This is a good thing because to me this drove me towards the individual sports I enjoy so much. But I went to a few pick up games early in the summer and started chasing the disc. It’s in the blood somewhere. Ever watch a labrador chase a frisbee. They can’t help themselves.

For the uninitiated, Ultimate is a hybrid between American football, (I prefer to think Rugby) basketball and soccer. The objective is to throw the disc to a player into the endzone. The player with the disc may not move, so players without the disc must move into open space to catch a throw from the “handler”. The handler only has 10 seconds to throw the disc before having to turn it over to the other team. Any time a pass is not completed it is turned over to the other team. There is obviously a lot of strategy and skill associated with both the handler and the players looking to catch the disc.

The key skills are throwing and catching. Backhand throwing is the skill most people are comfortable with. Forehand is an essential skill. When you’re being marked, a backhand throw takes more space to execute. A forehand is quicker and more fluid while under pressure. However it is not a natural motion so it must be practiced. I worked all summer to develop a forehand throw. I would throw out in the back yard with whomever would play catch with me. Gabriel actually developed a pretty good forehand too. In the end I was able to execute many good forehand throws before summer was out.

The intangible skills such as making cuts in front of the handler took longer and I clogged the throwing lanes for too long in the beginning. But in the end got better. In soccer the player with the ball can move, so my instincts, were to run diagonally towards the handler in the hopes of a throw. This sometimes cut off other cuts from our own team. Quick straight line cuts towards the thrower end up being more efficient.

I played on a coed team with some fantastic players. These players were also very patient and positive with the newer players. Of which, I was one of four. Towards the end I think I got a lot better. But I am sure it was hard to throw to someone who may or may not catch the disc. And then further harder to watch as this newbie threw it away. Everyone was very positive and tried to offer advice on what action to take rather than on the obvious “what not to do”. As a result, those pointless drops and throws narrowed to a few in the end. I made concerted efforts towards patience. I managed to throw away very few in the end. And I also laid out for a few throws that I should have caught on the first pass to redeem myself.

The KUDL summer tournament yesterday ended on a high note with Darrough’s team taking second, ours (somewhere closer to the bottom). Though we did get a team spirit award.

My lesson in this was to stay positive without beating up on myself too much. Getting hung up on what went wrong sometimes distracts from the goal of putting the disc in the end zone. When you drop something, or throw it away, look for your mark and start running, don’t get hung up on what you did wrong because if you get stuck in, most likely it will turn around.

For the rest of life this holds true.

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Aug 10 2007

Surf Kayak View of the Zone

Published by kwikle under Films, Surf Kayaking

The video isn’t necessarily spectacular, but it is fairly representative of the paddlers view in the surf zone. Notice how he starts unconciously grinning as soon as he catches a wave. It’s infectious.

Also note that he is not wearing a helmet. Get a helmet dude!

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Aug 08 2007

Bladerunner Final Cut DVD

Published by kwikle under Films

I finally saw my heart’s content on the DVD previews on the 300 Movie last night.

The Bladerunner 25th Anniversary Final Cut DVD will be available for purchase Fall 2007.

Bladerunner has been my favorite movie since I first saw it in the mid-eighties. No film since Bladerunner has ever come close to creating a world so complete that I could step into it without fear of falling. When the Director’s Cut came out in 1992, I was treated with opportunity to see the film twice on the big screen in an “improved” form from the theatrical release.

The new release on DVD will include five discs of additional commentary and making of featurettes. The sort of thing most Ridley Scott fans have been trying to donate kidneys for since the film was made.

Check out the sweet case it comes in!

Ridley’s films since Bladerunner have been hit or miss of course (Alien preceded Bladerunner). Legend, Black Rain, Matchstick Men, Blackhawk Down, and Gladiator being the best of the bunch. Kingdom of Heaven, Hannibal, White Squall, 1492, and GI Jane being the worst.

I look forward to losing a good 15 hours in front of the tube with this one. For a guy without cable TV that’s a lot!

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Aug 06 2007

Missing Friends

Published by kwikle under Friends

I am blessed with lots of friends. Some that brave poverty and destitution to make something worthwhile. While some of us cowards go to cushy jobs with i-tunes networks and ice cream. I admire them beyond words. Aeron is one who managed to get a professorship in Oslo, Norway. He got the job through his efforts as a self-supported artist. Being incredibly articulate, energetic and talented I’m sure had a lot to do with it too. So congratulations to Alejandra and Aeron.

His work is hard to describe. So maybe I’ll just link to it!

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Aug 06 2007

Photo Gallery

Published by kwikle under SEO, Usability, User Experience

My photo galleries are available here:

Picasa Web Galleries

I’ve found picasa to be one of the better web galleries out there. The usability on the application is really excellent. They also don’t have the silly bandwidth limitations that Flickr does. I also like the google mapping feature that accompanies each gallery.

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