kiss my copyright, b!$@#...

Hmmm... with all the years that I've been involved with IP (Intellectual Property) I've never really had much use for it, other than the fact that the people who need it pay me. Having worked in IP, it has made me a little more sensitive to different IP issue and I'm now doing a lot of heavy-duty research to try and not step on other people's IP toes when I start up my side-venture next year. Never, NEVER would I have thought that I would be involved with anything IP related personally. It's interesting. So a number of years ago I took this picture of Binghamton from the top of a building where my friends' wedding reception was:

Another friend in B-ton was doing the B-ton wikipedia site and asked if he could use it and I said "yes, just cite me"

The other day I found out the following...
Pay attention to the top banner... it changes.
http://www.broadwaybinghamton.com/

Then today I was sent this...
http://www.nysegsolutions.com/AboutUs/
Notice where the large picture is on the left.... I think it's a stock photo of a light bulb now, but that was a cropped version of my picture this morning.

I'm going to talk to the Broadway people... I don't mind people using my pic - in fact I think it's kinda cool that people like it and are using it and passing it around. I DO mind that I'm not getting mentioned - if they just put a note that I took the picture, I'll be happy. The thing I mind even more is that the NYSEG site used it. I've written to them already, which is why the picture is no longer there.... (I feel kinda like it's a "dance, monkey, dance!" situation. hehe... things happened FAST since it may have potentially been a legal issue for them). So i wrote to them just asking where they got the photo and said I'd be willing to discuss it if they'd like to use it still... but really, It'll be interesting to see where it came from. I really, really hope that it's just a small-town, not so worried about the legal stuff kind of thing. I hope it's NOT that they bought the image from someone. That would make me mad.

Remember kids: Intellectual property is an important thing and ALWAYS make sure to get permission before using someone else's toy unless it's a stock photo bought from a reputable source... ; )

Raunchy

J just got home last night from a week long business trip. After saying hi, he says, "I have to bring something in the house and there's a story behind it." My thoughts: "uh-oh." So in he comes carrying a big box. He says, "So I was talking to the guy I was getting the box from and I said 'I'm going to put my wife's holiday present in here and then write: Laura's present, do not open. So then she won't look in it.' And the guy said 'If you do that, she's SURE to look in it! You should write: Old Newspapers or something.' and I said that wouldn't work because you would probably throw them out, so I'm wondering what I should write on the box so you won't open it." Really a strange conversation, but here's the result:

The artistry of the lettering leads me to believe that J missed his calling as a graphic designer. I just gotta love that man o' mine. : )

Resolutions Addendum

Alrighty. With picking up my new resolutions, I've been thinking about health in general. It's kinda scary. There are so many harmful or potentially harmful products out there. I am really starting to consider all of the potential impacts of the pervasive use of plastics. Sometime this past year, studies came out showing that polycarbonate leeches stuff into the water and food stored in it and some such. Then with all of the melamine stuff coming out of China recently, my happy little dream world of "I'm sure no one would sell me something that can harm me or cause long term effects" has been shattered. As a result, last spring I stopped using my favorite Polycarbonate water bottle. (on a side note, I've also been considering ditching those ziplock/glad food containers in favor of the pyrex ones with lids... dunno.) Why is it my favorite? - the lid. It has this flip-top lid where you press a button and the lid flips open and then it has this perfect sipping portion and then you just swing it closed again and it locks. The main advantage is that it keeps the drinking area covered and therefor clean during one of my inevitable Kluzt moments when I drop it in a big pile of mulch or whatever. You can also open & close it one-handed for easy use while driving. This lid is CRITICAL for me. Then last May, Jonah's cousins came down and introduced me to "Smart Water" - which has electrolytes added for anyone who doesn't know. I really liked that idea. I'm kinda a camel in that I go a long time without drinking, and then drink a lot all at once. I probably am constantly teetering on the brink of minor dehydration. I need to change that. So anyway, whenever I feel dehydrated I now grab a smart water. Then that turned into grabbing a smart water on my way to work - every morning. Then the piles of water bottles to be recycled and the thought of money wasted has been seeming like a big waste. It really is a big waste. Yesterday, I was motoring around Target looking for a thermos or a reasonable facsimile thereof and GLORY BE! I found my old polycarbonate water bottle now made in stainless steel (like this but with the same lid as the original)! Praise whatever!!!! Now I can have my water, save money, hopefully not die from it (the bottle was made in China... should I be worried?), AND have no moral dilemmas about undue waste. *does a little dance*

Also, I picked up a stainless steel 24 oz. vacuum mug so that I can make tea and take it with me on trips. I think I still need a full scale thermos, but eh. I'm a fan of tea. I love tea. It's a great soda substitute, especially if you get a flavored type. Today's tea of the day: Republic of Tea 'Wild Blueberry' (Fine Black Tea with Sweet Blueberries) So my plan for a WHILE now has been to get a mug or thermos, make tea & then take it with me on road trips because you can barely ever get good tea in convenience stores (the only one I've found that's decent if you actually like tea is Gold Peak Unsweetened).

Addendums to Resolutions:

• drink my own water
• increase tea intake/decrease soda intake
• limit soda intake to lunch only
• start to moisturize more regularly

This week I've done pretty well on parts of my resolutions and not so well on others. J's been out of town on business travel and so I've been pretty good about exercising since it is all my own schedule. I have not been so good about cooking in since I'm the only one and haven't really stayed in. Last night I went to a place called Mackey's because they have a Guinness Steak & Mushroom pie (I tooooootally miss steak & ale pies from Scotland). It was good, but not the same AT ALL. *sigh * I'd also say I'll be better about cooking in next week, but it'll be T-giving and the only night we'll be home is Monday. Maybe I'll cook Monday? Dunno.

Funny self-deprecating story of the day: this is why I claim only to be a physicist-poser... So I get that new stainless steel water bottle and this morning I fill it with Brita water from the fridge. I go to grab the bottle and come away SHOCKED at how cold it is... anyone with a physics degree SHOULD expect that. It's metal, & metal is not an insulator. *hangs head in shame * Mental note... new sewing project will be to make a fabric coozie for my water bottle.

I think I'm the only one...

I must be the only one in the history of man to hate, and I mean HATE, the story of Romeo and Juliet. I wish there Shakespeare had a broken home so I could say to him (if he were alive) "a plague on both your houses!" Seriously. I have no comprehension of how people like that story. It's depressing and aggravating and is all a result of massive mis-communication and idiocy. I have only ever met one version of R&J that I liked and that's the Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. I believe that the only reason I like it is because it's artistically well done enough that I can get past it and ignore the story. I bring this up because I just caught an episode of Lux Radio Theater that was a rendition of Madame Butterfly. I was very excited since I have never seen the show and you hear about it all the time. People rave about it. I liked it clear up to the end.... When (BEWARE: SPOILER) she kills herself on her father's death sword. All because of a stupid, frickin' MISCOMMUNICATION! Argh! it irked me to no end. I felt like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away. Stop doing this to me, people!!!!! I haven't liked any movie versions of R&J (except the one stated before), I don't like West Side Story (go ahead and gasp in chagrin - I know you want to), and I don't like Madame Butterfly now that I've heard it. It's once again a poorly masked rehashing of the R&J story and it looses me once more. Grrr.... I feel cheated and betrayed.

Exercise Recap

So my training went pretty well yesterday. I timed the walk/runs and the direction of my travel just right such that the middle walk (It's W-R-W-R-W in an 8-5-5-5-7 relation this week) happened just at the right time to walk around the observation deck over the marsh. I got a happy little viewing reward that way, yay! The marsh is sooooo pretty regardless of time of year. I think I like cattails. Well the first run went well. I remembered to focus on my form - mid-foot strike, heel touch, roll & push-off; keep feet pointed forward; try not to over exert my ankle muscles; & bent-knee landing. It felt good. I think I was slower again. I think I get slower when I focus on form, but it's definitely better for my joints, especially that friggin' left knee. On the second run, my mind wandered and I had to pull it back to the task at hand because I could feel my feet turning back out again. I like barefooting because it really does force you to have a biomechanically good form. If you are off, you hurt or at least don't feel perfect. If you are on, you feel just fine. I'm still sore through the back of my calves a little - they're tight - but that's indicative that I was still overcompensating with my ankles and just not keeping it all loose. That'll get better over time. This is why I've been starting out slow again - so that I can get the right form down again so I don't blow my knee out.

In other news, I just put on my super skinny skirt from the end of HS, the beginning of college. It fits! I'm quite pleased. I'm happy that I'm getting back into running because if I do more running and dancing, hopefully it'll firm up my butt & thighs some more. *crosses fingers* We'll see. I'm not complaining about the quantity of muscle that I have already... it's been established that I have more muscle now than last time I was this size because I weigh 15 lbs more than I did then. That's at least SOME progress that was made over the last 10 years. Ah! I also went climbing the other day. That felt kinda good. I don't think I like most of the people at my gym though. They're not very social. I think I need to find myself a regular partner. I was happy to find out that the main strength I lost was in my fingers. They got fatigued well before any other part, so that's OK I guess. That's one definite thing that's great about taking up running as a form of exercise - you can do it ANYWHERE. Not so with climbing. Next week is T-giving as you all know and I'll be home for 5 days? Yeah. So I'll just pack my five fingers and my jogging pants and go! Yay! Hopefully this time my mum won't worry about me exerting myself in the cold. Parents always worry, I guess. : )

Speaking of Five Fingers... if anyone feels like getting me a random senseless gift, I'm jonesin' for those light blue/green ones featured on the front page.... ; )

Ah, I also entertained myself by taking Retro Pinup pics of myself last night. That was fun. No, I'm not posting them on here. Needless to say, if anyone wants any pin-ups done for them, let me know. I love it! I also do head shots & I really, really want to try recreating the effects of 16th century paintings with my camera. Let me know if you're up for a shoot!

Is it just me?

Is it just me or is it colder out? Sounds like a stupid question since the winter weather just started showing up, I know. See, here's the thing. I know winter has come sooner than last year, but I've also lost 50 lbs of insulation. I'm guessing it's a combination of being colder earlier and my lack of insulation, but I am COLD lately. Last year I probably wore socks only whenever there was enough snow to risk getting it into my shoes (i.e. a handful of times). This year I've not only started to wear socks already, but have upgraded to knee socks. This has two benefits... 1)I am warmer from the knee-down and 2) my Eczema is not attacking me as ferrociously as in previous years. For anyone interested, I have been getting Eczema on the back of my calves and sometimes up my legs, but only in the winter. As soon as the temperature changes and the humidity drops, it kicks in. This year... not so much. Is it that I'm eating better and perhaps subjecting myself to fewer allergens and thereby not exacerbating things? Is it purely that the additions of knee socks is, as my friend suggested earlier, keeping more moisture on my skin and thereby not letting it dry out as much? I don't know if I'll ever really get the answer to either the cold question or the Eczema vs. knee socks one. Oh well, off to run & see f I succeed in not puking up the potato and vegetable soups I ate for lunch. Goodie!

Begin at the beginning

So I've made the first however many steps to getting out there and running again. Learning from my mistake in September of just trying to go a gung-ho 3 miles without getting my form back in shape and almost blowing my knee out, I decided to stat almost from square one again and found a Couch to 10K program that I plan to follow. I'm starting at week 3 because I really can already walk for 30 minutes straight regularly... and the 3 minute jogs are well below me too. the 5 minute jogs today were a good start because I can do it easily, but I did try to go Gung-ho again and was able to realize by the end that I have to pay stricter attention to my form the next 3 times that I go out on this week's planned run/walks. I also found out again why I love running outside. Total zen experience... in the winter I barely come across any other people at the nature preserve and today I saw a fox standing in the trail ahead of me and staring at me. Fortunately he/she scampered off into the brush well before I got there. Hopefully it wasn't rabid. It felt good. I'm gonna be a little sore in the muscles though.

Also, since my velour jogging pants from last year outgrew me... & since I haven't been able to find cute replacements, I bought myself my first "track suit" - pants charcoal with BLINDING magenta piping and then a BLINDING magenta jacket with charcoal accents. Hopefully this will help with visibility if I have to run in darker near-road conditions. I feel like a bit of a tool, but it is comfy.

Warning for any male readers: girl stuff coming next (aka bra-reviews)

On other news, we went to PSU this past weekend. It was, at best, a comedy of errors involving a clogged toilet, a roll-away cot that was nowhere-to-be-found, and a 3 or 4 different plans to hang out with another couple that never came to fruition. The final nail in the coffin of my experience was that, as I was getting ready to drive home at 7:30 AM so Jonah could make his soccer match, my bra broke. MY BRA BROKE! Normally I wouldn't care, but this is the end of a moderately irritating weekend and it was a really expensive bra from Victoria's Secret called The Wave that was purchased as an every-day luxury item. If a Hanes $10 bra lasts me two years, the Victoria's Secret one will be a nice luxury that is more comfy and more support (or so the theory went). Pros: The Wave is the most comfy bra I have ever put on, it has convertible straps so that it can be racer-backed or halter, was constructed in such a way that you don't get indents across your back-flab, and was "secretly" leopard print on the inside eventhough it was utilitarian otherwise (yes, guys, we like funky stuff inside because it makes us feel like even something boring and functional can be a little wild). The cons: it greeeew... over time the foam that was the base stretched or grew or something so that it got too loose around and it BROKE... I went to put it on the same way I put on every other one and the strap came off. For only the second time in my life, I returned something used. (the first was a pair of shoes from target in which the soles appeared to be made of cardboard and nearly had a hole in them by the end of the first day). I took the bra back to VS because I've only had it for about 3 months and the strap fell off. This is either a design flaw or a defective product, clearly, and expensive to boot. The store people were very nice and credited me most of the original price (seemed fair since I had used it for 3 months) and I exchanged it out for the Very Sexy Multi-Way Bra. Aside from the fact that it gives a pleasing shape, I'm not sure where they get the name "Very Sexy" for it, but it also has convertible straps (in fact it came with a second pair of clear ones and a halter extender), came in skin color, is super comfy, and has removable padding. So far I'm happy enough. Let's hope this one lasts. : )

Things that make me mad...

Yeah, I know... that's a very positive sounding title that just makes you WANT to read this, huh? Anyway, I've come across a number of things in the past year or so that have just made me alternately want to celebreate and then throw things angrily. The first instance is a couple of years back I went to the Solar Decathalon and saw all sorts of new innovations. One that seemed very implementable to me was an inductance heating stove. Super cool! A changing magnetic field sends all the electrons spinning in the metal pots and pans (eddy currents, yay!) and then you get heat... It takes very little electricity as opposed to a heating coil on a normal electric stove. But later, I was doing a search and found this patent from 1973... 1973!!! WHy aren't these standard in houses already?!?! I can see not replacing a gas stove, but electric stoves should have been replaced by these already. So that made me mad.

Then I heard about a car company in Indian working on making cars that are driven by compressed air. It a super cool idea. So new, so novel! Oh wait... I found this... History of compressed air engines. Now someone please explain to me why we're so much better off now that if we had just spent the past 80 years improving the technology on this.... Thing that made me mad #2.

Now, just a few days ago, I foudn this on BoingBoing: 1958 TV show about global warming

I really give up. There's so much we could have done and should have been doing to prevent the environment from going the direction that it has. It all makes me mad, it makes me sad. I get worried when I hear somenoe in the policy realm talking about the next energy technology. They seem to think along the lines of ONE. ONE new technology. What we need to be doing is making a comprehensive study of the entire US and pair that with feasibility studies for different technologies. Let's face it. Solar energy is not the answer for Pittsburgh, Seattle, or Binghamton. But it would be great to imprlement in Nevada. Wind turbines would probably do much better on the tops of mountains or on unobstructed plains areas. Aren't there a couple of more places that we could put in Hydro plants? And who does the US rail system suck so much? I have ridden the train once (amtrak). It rocked. There was no waiting, no security lines, more spacious than a bus, and you didn't have to stay in your seat the whole time. The main gripe I have about the trains is that it doesn't go everywhere I'd want. When it does, it takes longer than a plane (well duh!) but they don't have as frequent of schedules, so I can't get an overnight trip on a 16 hour train ride. If I could spend 8-10 hours of that trip sleeping, I'd totally pay that much for a ticket that takes that long. Well, that's it. I'm done. No more ranting. Take a nice bath & hit the hay I guess.

Believe it or not....

Just a quickie thought... I love podcasts and I LOVE Old Time Radio... My latest podcast trend has been the Lux Radio Theater. They took current Hollywood movies, abridged them so that the story would fit within an hour and have room for commercials. I think it was a double advertising ploy - to get people interested in the movie and to get in advertising for Lux Soap. I have to admit, it seems effective. Several times I've wanted to go rent the movie and I'm totally down with seeing if Lux Flakes and Lux Toilet soap is still available. They've convinced me that it's a good product?

The most interesting thing though is that you hear voices of famous people talking to you and, I guess because you don't see the B&W or grainy picture, it doesn't register that this was a long time ago. It doesn't register that most of these people have passed away until I think about it later. I've gotten to hear Cecil B. DeMille announce the shows and talk to ME and tell me about his new productions. Just this episode I got to hear the real Mr. Ripley speaking (from Ripley's Believe It or Not)... and I never thought about the fact that there probably WAS a Mr. Ripley. I got to hear about and then discover a famous 1920s tiger tamer by the name of Mabel Stark. Really, we were all shocked by the incident a few years back with Sigfried and Roy... but I guess we're all too sheltered. Mabel was attacked, mauled & sent to the hospital 16 times by 1936. (her career lasted through the 50s). Very interesting.

Samhain Resolutions & Halloween 2008 Wrap-up

Last year, I accidentally made Samhain resolutions. By accidentally, I mean that I made a plan and it came like a shot out of the dark via random coincidence and it all happened right around the beginning of November (right after Samhain). As a result, I decided retroactively that I had Samhain resolutions. Now, the one really nice thing about using the Celtic New Year, as I've mentioned before, is that you can make a plan to eat healthier BEFORE all the opportunities to gorge... hence you can realize "hey, I should have at least a glimmer of self-restraint" and thereby you do not have as much "making up for it" to do later.



I think this is a grand idea. I spent a lot of time the past two weeks trying to THINK of new resolutions and I wasn't having any luck. Luckily, the shot out of the dark came again this year. So here we goooooooooooo.......!!!!

1. Start a small side business making custom clothing - market to the local DC metro area, tap Etsy, and diversify. You want it? I'll make it. Costumes, period-inspired everydaywear, steampunk. You got it!


2. Cook more and eat more veggies. I miss cooking. I say my excuse is we don't have enough time. BS! I am a culinary wizard and need to get off my lazy ass & just hit the grocery every day. Expect to see more random concoctions like the Salmon Salad appear - if I really liked it, I'll share.


3. Train up for the Boo! Run 10K in October.


4. Do more work on trying to figure out how to balance work, play, relaxation, and social. I still suck at it.


5. Find a dentist


6. Work on those last 10 lbs and maybe toning more.



7. Wear more hats.

Now as far as Halloween goes... we had fun as always, but the much-anticipated DC101 Party, which always has awesome costumes because they offer a several thousand dollar grand prize, was a total bust. I think I'm done with it. Maybe all the people who make the normally fantastic costumes have caught on that they weren't going to get anywhere because it's always something pop-culture that wins. Maybe they realized this and went elsewhere. Maybe they were all in a Halloween funky like I was this year and didn't decide to do much. All I know is that they weren't really there. J & I were Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett as planned. Lori reappeared as her sshett-ghost. Our friend Adi came out and made himself Charlie Brown using black duct tape on a yellow shirt & Jenn was an asian masseuse and Wilson pulled out his mad-1-hour costume skillz and came as Toadstool from Super Mario Brothers. It was fun hanging with friends, but the party sucked and a guy in a white button down shirt and a brown vest who called his costume "McLovin'" (from the movie Superbad) won the $3K. I am peeved. For $3K the giant Dildo that someone MADE should have gotten the prize at least (Rabbit dildo was 2nd runner up). So anyway, the verdict is that I should have made plans to just stay at Greg & Jessie's because it was more fun eventhough I Greg didn't make it home before I had to leave. Stupid work.

Yeah, I don't know what was wrong, but I was in some weird halloween funk this year. Never got my decorations out. Never even put fall leaves on the door.... weird. Huh.... Maybe I'll dig out the ceramic fruit for T-giving and make some effort. Dunno.

Cooking with Binkle, Ep.1

Well, I got inspired last night to cook at home. I don't like recipes so much. I like to experiment... I thought: "Vegetables, I need Veggies..." and then thought: "dinner salad!" and wandered into Trader Joe's. First things first - pick a meat. I really wanted to grill up some Salmon, so I headed to the meat section to see what was to be had. Here's what I came up with:

Dijon Cider Pistachio Salmon Salad

1 package Herb Dijon Salmon Fillets
1 Bag Baby Spring Greens Mix
1 Bag Raw Pistachio Nutmeats
Apple Cider Vinegar
Manchego Cheese
White muchrooms
Vine ripened tomatos
Maille Old World Whole Grain Dijon Mustard

I used 1.5 C of salad greens per salad, tossed on a handfull of mushroom slices crumbled up. I split 1.5 fillets of Salmon between the two salads - maybe overkill, but eh.... I tossed the pistachios in my mini processor and chopped them up and put about 1/4 C chopped pistachios on each salad. added 1/4 C shredded manchego per... then 5-6 quartered tomatos. Lastly, I mixed 1/2 C Cider Vinegar with about 1-1.5 Tbsp of Maille in a bowl and mixed them together to make a dressing and poured half over each salad. It was A) filling, B)divine, and C) relatively low-cal, but flavorful. Go try it. Make sure not to over-grill the Salmon. Enjoy!