Kevin's Weblog

A couple weeks ago, Jess and I took a long ride from our house up to the Botanic Gardens up North. It was a bit more than I could handle without practice, especially the 10 miles into the wind on the way back, but it was still a lot of fun.

Route: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/22213286/

Pictures: http://gallery.me.com/kevbo#100072&view=null&bgcolor=black&sel=36 (note the the videos are in HD and may take a while to load)

Flyover:

Another way to geek out your workout: save GPS data from your iPhone to an application that can generate a Google Earth flyover. :)

You can do this using the iMapMyRide iPhone app, which connects to the MapMyRide.com website. There, you can save and tag your routes, and generate maps and flyovers, like the one below.

BTW, here are some pictures I took during the ride, which happened right around dusk. Beautiful scenery!

I came across this video of Gordon Ramsay making his 'Sublime Scrambled Eggs Breakfast' a few months ago, and had been itching to make it. One, because it just looked delicious and two, because I fuckin' *love* this guy.



I finally got around to it a few weeks ago, and have now made them several times. I haven't perfected it, but I am getting better at it. One thing I need to try is to actually use Crème fraîche as opposed to standard sour cream, but that sounds like a lot of work for some eggs. Anyone know where I can find some pre-made?

For me, the best part of Summer in Chicago is the Taste of Chicago and the Independence Eve fireworks. Every year for the past decade or so, as my schedule has allowed, I've gotten downtown as early as possible to stake out a spot for the fireworks near Monroe Harbor. The orchestral patriotic soundtrack -- provided by the Grant Park Orchestra -- combined with the fireworks, is awe-inspiring every single year.

Last year, though, you decided to depart from tradition and provide a pop music soundtrack for the fireworks. What an incredible let-down it was when I found out! I had hoped in vain that it would be a one-time thing, but no -- you've done it again this year by letting THE MIX provide the music. Really? How much money did it take for you to sell out the orchestra? Do you really think that letting them play on the 4th instead is compensation for them and their fans?

The fireworks are officially no longer worth my while to deal with the insane crowds and battle the traffic. If I hadn't already committed to the fireworks this year, I wouldn't bother heading downtown to see them. Everyone I've mentioned this to agrees that this is a poor move. Here's hoping that you wise up next year and bring back the traditional orchestra soundtrack. Otherwise, you've just lost yourself a loyal fan.

Kevin Boers

Note: if you are also upset at the city's decision to replace the Grant Park Orchestra as the soundtrack for the fireworks, it appears you can submit a form here with your thoughts. (click 'Contact Us' in the right-hand sidebar)

In no particular order:

1. Five “Web 2.0″ ways to break up with your boyfriend
2. Five karmic burdens I’ll be burning off for years
3. Five things you don’t want to hear from someone emerging from a bathroom after 35 minutes
4. Five terrible fake names for your secret treehouse club
5. Five nouns to which I enjoy prepending an unnecessary definite article

And, yes, I was totally distracted at work this morning.

As the more intrepid of my visitors are already aware, the 2008 Holiday Radio Stream is now live. To tune in, visit the Holiday Radio site and click the giant play button on the right-hand side of the page, or look for the player of your choice beneath that. For those of you with iPhones - you can listen in, too! Just follow the instructions here to use the ‘Internet RadioBOX’ app to connect to the stream. I’ve been listening in during my commute (on Chicago’s 3G network) for the last week, and there’s barely a hiccup! If you use this method to listen in, please leave me a comment and let me know how it works for you.

Happy Holidays!
Kevin

Heheh...


http://view.break.com/569516 - Watch more free videos

I'm totally hooked on this song, as minimalist as it is. It reminds me of the soundtrack composed by Dallwitz/Glass for the Truman Show. It's been on repeat in my iTunes for about an hour now.

Go get 'im, Krugman!

"The real revelation of the last few weeks, however, has been just how erratic Mr. McCain's views on economics are. At any given moment, he seems to have very strong opinions -- but a few days later, he goes off in a completely different direction.

Thus on Sept. 15 he declared -- for at least the 18th time this year -- that 'the fundamentals of our economy are strong.' This was the day after Lehman failed and Merrill Lynch was taken over, and the financial crisis entered a new, even more dangerous stage.

But three days later he declared that America's financial markets have become a 'casino,' and said that he'd fire the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission -- which, by the way, isn't in the president's power."

Link