The Daily Ping

Pajama Jeans

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Some glorious days, Pings write themselves. Like today. Where all I need to do is point you towards Pajama Jeans, show you this video, and point out that the way she says "pajama" makes this all the funnier.

My Two Favorite Super Bowl Ads of 2010

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Budweiser one with the human bridge was pretty good and my daughter like the sock monkey one, but these two are the ones that really got me smiling:

Power outages

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

We were lucky enough to avoid a power outage during this weekend's storm (even though others in our own town were without for more than few hours), but we were prepared. We'd put some extra water in the fridge, got buckets of water for the bathroom (being careful not to confuse the two), made up a big batch of chili, and recharged all our batteries (AA, cell phone, flashlight). I think the power was too scared to go off in our house because we were so well prepared (plus, we have a gas fireplace, so it really wouldn't have been that huge of a deal).

What's the longest you've ever been without power? I don't think I've had to make do for more than 6 or 12 hours.

Your Saturday Video

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In case you're one of the three people who hasn't seen this yet, enjoy a weatherman freaking out about the storm that hit the DC/Baltimore area this weekend. (And, yes, it's pretty clear he was trying very hard to become a meme, but heck, I still enjoyed it.)

Perfect amount of snow

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

As I've made known, I'm a fan of snow, especially since Virginia really doesn't get very much (this year aside). While I appreciate the rare 20" snowstorm, I think the perfect amount of snow is 5-6" that comes down on a Friday night through Saturday. That way, you have Saturday to enjoy the snow, Sunday's left to clear it and let it start melting, and then by Monday, everything's clear and getting back to work isn't difficult, but things still look pretty.

Discuss.

Snowpocalypse Snowmageddeon snOMG

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Here in DC, we're prepping for another gigantic storm (4-5 times more than my perfect amount of snow), and just so you can keep track of the latest weather status for the DC area, I encourage you to visit Snowpocalypse DC for the most accurate information.

(Added fun fact according to Wikipedia's entry on the area's largest storm, back in 1922: only two major area snowstorms since 1909 have not occurred on a weekend.)

vi Haiku (vi-ku?)

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

clunky/powerful,
write quit bang! if read-only.
vi: edit text.

Business cards

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

(Ryan is covering for Paul on the Ping while he's on the road writing the great American novel.)

People still use business cards. Or, at least, I think they do. I've handed perhaps three out in the last four years and have received maybe twice as many. Then again, I'm not a typical business card user.

When was the last time you gave or received a business card? How about a really interesting business card, one that wasn't printed for free at Vistaprint (not that there's anything wrong with that for 90% of people) and seemed to have some actual design elements involved?

Til Death

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Last night I stumbled upon an episode of Til Death starring the-guy-who-played-Robert-on-Raymond. Brad somethingorother.

Wow is it bad.

I remember watching the first episode a few years ago and thinking, "Peeyou. This show is a stinker." A few years later, it's still on the air, and it smells even worse. I mean, this is right up there with Wings when it comes to shows that way overstayed their welcome.

Are there any actual fans of this show that are, you know, not comatose?

Instapaper

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

A few years ago I took a good, hard look at all of the information I both create and consume and tried to come up with a magical solution for all of it. Totally didn't work, sadly, but I'm happy to note that at least one problem is solved.

For years I've had a collection of articles and other stuff I want to read... sometime. I've always called this the "will save for later" pile. It came in handy whenever Ryan would send me an interesting link for example; I would file it away on delicious with the tag "wsfl" ("Will Save for Later") and then told Ryan... "wsfl." Not interesting, I know. But I had them on delicious and that mostly worked.

But Instapaper is even better. It's glorious, in fact. It simply lets you collect articles and links from across the web via a bookmarklet - you can also enter URLs on the site. Then, on your account page you get a list of the stuff you want to read. You can pop them in folders but it's all kept very simple.

I've found this to be invaluable for reading on the go. I can queue things up, load up mobile-friendly versions which Instapaper provides, and away I go. It's really an essential utility and I can only imagine that the iPhone app is killer.

And, Instapaper is free. Lovely!

High school sports

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In the past few months, we've attended a few high school sporting events (a football game in October and a basketball game in January). While I remember back in my own high school games there being a fee to get into football games, for some reason I don't remember having to pay for basketball games or any other sports. Am I losing my mind or was this the case back when?

I was a bit surprised at having to pay for the basketball game. Sure, it wasn't a lot ($5), but for some reason I always thought they just made their money from concessions.

Brice Beckham Day 3

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

(Shucks! Missed my Ping yesterday!)

Answer Man: Bob Uecker talks Mr. Belvedere, Miller Lite ads

Q: Wesley seemed to get along with Belvedere more than he got along with his dad.

BU: Well, he and I had our father-son episodes, but he really knew how to get under Belvedere's skin. Brice Beckham knew everybody else's lines. He was a great kid. He was smart. I still see Tracy Wells and Rob Stone and I talk once in a while. He does a lot of work producing shows for the Discovery Channel and the History Channel.

The iPad

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

So, uh, heard any tech news lately?

Because I'm a geek I watched coverage of the iPad announcement yesterday in a conference room with a number of coworkers and, honestly, it was a good time. The collective feeling in the room was one of disappointment though; almost no one really wanted the iPad. Their beefs were echoed on various tech sites. "No camera!" "No SD slot!" "No video conferencing!" All legit.

But as a friend said yesterday, we're not the target market for this. That is, geeks. This isn't quite for us. This is, to steal a phrase, a computer for the rest of us. A lot of the elements of classic personal computing are gone from the iPad. No exposure to a file system... that's pretty big. No mental model of folders and documents. That's huge. No keyboard. No mouse. Substantially lower risk of viruses, malware, etc. due to a totally closed application store. It takes a lot of the ideas of computers and throws them out.

Rafe Colburn sees it as the beginning of the end of personal computing, particularly from an openness angle. I agree to a point; there's no choice with a lot of the iPad. You want books? Apple's store is the way to go (although there is that Kindle app...) Movies, TV shows, apps? Apple's store or the highway. There isn't another email client yet, no other web browser, no other address book or any of that. There'll never be direct competition for the iPod app.

There is one point he brings up which I totally buy though: "I think that it’s a real possibility that in 10 years, general purpose computers will be seen as being strictly for developers and hobbyists." Absolutely. Maybe even sooner. The whole general purpose computer is, frankly, dying. Putting them in netbook form has been interesting to some people but, in the end, it's still just a miniature traditional computer. (And Dave Winer thinks Apple struck out.) I mean, does a typical computer user need to know a programming language anymore? No. How to load a program from tape or disk? No. Why, then, do we subject these users to all of these other constraints when all some of them want to do is post something on Facebook? Exactly.

It's a 1.0 product. It'll get better. I think the base price is good. I think Apple will have a hit on their hands precisely because they invest in the closed system - they have top talent, they have the processes, and they can make the experience second to none. And for a lot of people, for better or worse, that trumps being able to export a document to an open format.

All that said, I do want one. I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, and would like to have an in-between device. I often take my laptop with me on the train to and from work and, when I'm not doing web development, I'll read and listen to music. It's a waste to have a big, 5.x pound device with me when I can just have an iPad which does what I want.

(And ten years ago we would have killed for this technology!)

Office Tissues: Why Do They Suck?

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Every single office I've ever worked in, ever, has had inferior tissues.

We're talking 2-ply if you're lucky, thin as can be, rough as sandpaper stuff here. Why is this? I know that money is tight and all. But don't you want to give your employees something nice?

I'd like to add that the current tissues I have at work are called Heavenly Soft. This is a lie.

The Illinois Tollway Has a Lousy Website.

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

They do. Here's why.

I use IPASS, the wee transponder which not only lets me go through toll plazas at full speed but also tracks the date, time, and location of every toll I've ever paid. This is worth the convenience... and the 50% discount I get versus using cash. I opened my account with the tollway last year with $40, which was bundled with the purchase of the transponder.

About three months ago, I got an automated email from the Tollway warning me that my IPASS balance was low. I wasn't sure how low - the email didn't say - so I logged in and saw that it was at about $9.50. Not too low given that most tolls I pay are 40 cents and I'm not on the tollway every day. So I just ignored it.

But the tollway didn't. I continued to receive emails every day regarding my low balance. Every. Day. It just became noise, as you can imagine. I did check on their internet website to see if I could set the threshold to something more reasonable, such as $2. Nope. It's $10 or nothing. So... yeah.

Last week came time for a replenishment. So I went to my account and proceeded to fill out a form for replenishment. The default amount listed is $40 which I really didn't need. So I changed the value to $10, submitted the form and, uh, hm. An error? "Replenishment must be a dollar amount greater than or equal to 40 in $1 increments." $40 is the minimum? I can do $41 but not $11? Come now... that's just dumb.

In my 90 daily emails I received from the tollway, though, I was informed I could also stop by an IPASS location at a tollway oasis (not likely) or get an IPASS gift card at my local Jewel-Osco. (We'll put aside the pure sadness of giving someone an IPASS gift card for a moment.) My lovely wife picked up just such a gift card the other day, at a more reasonable $20 amount. So far so good.

I logged into my account at the tollway website to add this gift card. Huh. No option. I can do debit or credit but... no gift card? Indeed: the back of the gift card insists I can only add value by calling their 800 number. Fine, fine.

So I do that. I call the number and press 1. Then 1 again. At this point I have to listen to a poorly-placed recording of their business hours. I figure that the automated system can help me so I opt for that.

I press another button, and another, and finally get to the point where I can add value! Hooray! But... yes, no gift card option. At all. I pressed zero, pound, asterisk, and all the keys at once to no avail.

I ended up calling the number back. This time I followed a similar tree, but before choosing the automated option I just pressed zero a few times. That worked: I was transferred to an actual person (even though their website claimed that they were closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day). I gave her the gift card number, my transponder number, my blood type, the planned name of my first child, and my Google Account password and... just like that, I have $20 to use.

So let's think about this for a minute. The tollway went ahead and emailed me every day to remind me of a pre-set low balance threshold that I couldn't change. Once I did decide to give them money, I wanted to do it online and they said, "Nope, $40 or more only." I then got a gift card (and ate the cost for gas, time to go to the store, etc.) and attempted to add that balance online. They said, "Nope, credit or debit only." I then tried to use an automated system just so this menial task wouldn't be routed to a live person - because you know it's just a three field form on a screen - and they said, "Nope, credit or debit only." I finally had to call the number, navigate a tree and talk to a person to get it done.

It's truly a wonder that the tollway has a website at all. It's clear it was just an add-on thing. It's 2010, by the way, so get with it already.

Barefoot Placekickers

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Watching football this weekend, I started thinking, "You know, it's been a long time since I've seen a barefoot kicker." I remember as a kid, seeing a few barefoot kickers, including Tony Frankling of the Eagles. It always amazed me -- could it really be easier on them to kick without a shoe? Particularly in winter?

As far as I can tell, it's been about 20 years since the NFL has had a barefoot placekicker. I think it's a trend that needs to come back.

Hey, where should I put my content?

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

To me one of the more interesting dialogues of the past week has revolved around the question of where participatory media is going.

The initial blow, from what I can tell, originated from VR pioneer Jaron Lanier. He's promoting a new book, You are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto, which includes a focus on the popularity of social networking and what it means for the future of the web. This brief article includes the highlights. Lanier veers farther into the open source v. closed source idea here than I'd like to, but I get what he's saying.

It's definitely something that's been on my mind lately. Some of you may know that I'm a photographer; I enjoy sharing my work with the world. For the past several years my main avenue of doing so has been through flickr. I have a small but loyal following of people seeing my work and, let me tell you, that's really exciting. Even if one person sees a photo of mine and loves it... that means something to me. To use Lanier's language I did receive kudos for this work. And flickr helped get my photos seen in a store, in a book, and in a magazine. I could have done that on my own but, frankly, it would have entailed more work on my part.

Despite that, I am torn between having all of my work on flickr - a site I don't control - and my own domain. As more and more of our collective content becomes available online I think this is a valid concern. My HD videos will live on flickr, YouTube, or Vimeo. Small updates and trivia will live on Twitter and Facebook. And there's nothing on my personal site anymore. The site that I, really, have the most control over has the least amount of content... what a change from five or ten years ago.

Lanier's argument suggests that we'd collectively see more exciting and diverse work if we didn't always rely on crowdsourcing. Caterina Fake wrote a great response to Lanier on the benefits of our new participatory media. I see value in both arguments really: Lanier touches on my "wow, five big sites are controlling a mess of content!" side and Fake speaks to my "but these are just new societies!" side.

It seems like a tough knot to untangle. What do you think? Do you still have a personal site? Are we just all robots?

Garbage Disposal Problems

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 09:00:00 -0400

I'm having garbage disposal problems.

It won't work.

More specifically, when I flip the switch, there's a click and a slight sound, but there's absolutely no action with blade movement. It doesn't seem to be clogged, though that's just using the "hand test." One site indicates the motor might just be jammed and that using a broom handle to get things moving again may do the trick. Has anyone had a similar issue that can lend a hand? I'm the man when it comes to toilets (though I should probably mention I was battling two clogged toilets last week and almost lost to one of them... almost), but I'm not so goo when it comes to garbage disposals. But I'd really rather not pay silly amounts of cash for a plumber and/or a new disposal if all I need is a broom handle.

Brice Beckham Day 2

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

We Live in the Future

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

This past week I upgraded my walkaround point-and-shoot camera. I had been using a Panasonic Lumix TZ1 - a fine camera with a long-zoom - and I traded up for a Lumix ZS3. One of my chief concerns about a new camera was size; the TZ1 is not large by any stretch, but something like a tiny Canon PowerShot sounded appealing.

But when it came down to it I was convinced that the ZS3 was for me... and my first few days with it have been great, too. It is a pretty amazing device when you step back and think about it. It's roughly the size of my first iPod, a 20GB model that itself was the size of a deck of cards. And in this package the camera has a 12x optical zoom, 3cm macro mode, 720p HD movie recording (up to an hour with an 8GB SDHC card), Dolby stereo, face recognition, face tracking, baby modes (which tracks a child's age if you give it a DOB), and all the other usual camera-y goodness. And somehow I was thinking all this was too big?

We really do live in the future now. Between smartphones, iPods, wireless data, and the web there's so much good stuff out there, and we get to enjoy it. That's pretty great, isn't it?

And remember, everything is amazing... and no one is happy.

What ever happened to... Brice Beckham?

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

With a name like that, you'd figure he'd be an easy actor to remember. But tell the truth: when you read the headline of this Ping, did you think, "Who the hell is that?"

Go back to the 1980s sitcom part of your brain and you may remember he was on Mr. Belvedere, playing young Wesley, the son of Bob Uecker.

After Mr. Belvedere, Brice played a few bit parts on shows like The Wonder Years and Roseanne ("Lunch Box Customer") and then virtually disappearing for a decade before resurfacing for a few more bit parts (and worked on projects like Deliverance: The musical). Finally, in 2008 Brice returned on the show I Hate My 30's as Corey, also directing the episodes he was in. And then last year, he was part of a Mr. Belvedere reunion show ("The Owens Family Remembers") that I didn't even know happened (it was for the DVD release of the first two seasons of the show). It had to be super awesome, though.

Bravo to Brice for his comeback. I hope he continues to make Lynn Belvedere proud.

(And, a bonus link where Retroist.com did with the Mr. Belvedere theme song what the Ping did with the Golden Girls theme song.)

How to impress me

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

If you're going to create a in-depth, whimsical illustrated world of characters with your computer, chances are you're going to spend a month or two in Illustrator, right?

CHILD'S PLAY.

Come talk to me when you spend four years and do it in MS Paint:

Unreasonable Sick Thoughts

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I was under the weather this past weekend - a great time to be sick, of course - with a bit of a cold. Colds don't act the same in me now as they did when I was a kid. Back then, I'd usually start with a nasty sniffly, runny nose and it'd work its way down to the throat. Now they start in the throat and work up to the nose. Neither is very fun.

In any case, one thing that remains true is that while I'm sick, there'll be at least one point where I'll start thinking unreasonable and ridiculous thoughts. I think it's the NyQuil talking. The most common one is, obviously, "What if I can never breathe through my nose again?" This leads me to envision a future where my mouth is dry as a desert and I need a portable humidifier strapped around my neck at all times.

As I said: unreasonable.

WarGames

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Ah, WarGames. I have fond memories of this movie... or more specifically, I have fond memories of this movie being on HBO all the time back in the day.

The movie mostly stands up as a curiosity piece nowadays. The story is pretty straightforward and, well, I enjoyed watching it again... but also thought it'd have a radically different take on it in the 80s, when the USSR existed. The last scenes with WOPR going looney when playing games freaked me out as a kid.

A Riddle

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

What do you a call a rapper who decides to use another rapper's immense popularity to propel himself to supposed fame? One that calls this famous rapper out but also names himself in reference to this same rapper and designs his cover art to look like the famous rapper's best-selling album?

If it were 1994, you would call this rapper Sheep Doggy Dogg.

17 Million Views

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

As of this writing, this video has over 17 million views. That's a lot of freaking views. But you know what? I can kind of see why. I've already watched it five times myself.

The One Thing You Wish You Knew in 2000

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

If there is any one thing you could tell yourself ten years ago, what would it been?

For me, it's easy: a hearty, "Cheer up! Enjoy yourself!"

Pepsi A.M.

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

While looking through Food from the 80's, I stumbled across a Pepsi product I have no recollection of and don't even remember hearing about after the fact: Pepsi A.M.. Most commenters at the site also have no recollection of it and indicate it may have only been regionally tested. The final comment on the page says that it was the same as regular Pepsi, but with more caffeine. PepsiCo was hoping you'd have a soda first thing in the morning rather than coffee.

Anyone ever try it out during its short life in 1989?

What's in your car that shouldn't be?

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

My car is always a little messy. It's not like an episode of Hoarders, but there are always a few items out of place, things left behind that should have been brought inside long ago. Here is my current list of stuff that shouldn't be in my car, but is:

A hideous flower sheet that our dog sits on when we travel (should be folded up and put in the trunk)
My casual-dressy shoes
A 2009 magnetic calendar (?!)
A minimalist Baby Bjorn potty (because gas station bathrooms are really, really gross and I'd rather my daughter not have to use the toilet in one)

You?

Vitamin Buddy Can Bite Me

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

November 6, 2009: I order moisturizer from VitaminBuddy.com. I get a confirmation.

November 9, 2009: I get another confirmation.

November 16, 2009: I get an e-mail telling me the item I ordered is on backorder and it should ship in 10 days.

January 11, 2010: I never got my moisturizer, so I check the order status. Even though I've never received an e-mail, the order's been canceled. And the item I ordered is still on their site, showing availability.

Hard to believe that in 2010 crap ass stores like Vitamin Buddy still exist. Should have known from the name, I suppose.

I Don't Get Reserves.

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I occasionally use eBay. For some things, like the Wii I scored earlier this year for a song, it's great. For other things, like the time someone nearly scammed me out of a computer, it's not great.

But there's one thing I admit I don't understand: reserve prices. Basically, when you start an auction you have the option of setting a reserve price; should the auction not hit that price, the item won't be sold. But the reserve isn't revealed to bidders so it's a guessing game until that "Reserve not yet met" message goes away.

To me this makes no sense. If you have an idea of what you want for an item, why not just start the auction at that price? It seems easy. If I'm selling a Back to the Future plastic cup and I want $5, I'll start my bidding at $5. Easy.

Can any more established sellers step in and tell me why reserves are useful? Thanks. I've got to go bid on a bidet now. (It's not used.)

Tree Cutters

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

This morning we had a large tree in our backyard cut down to the ground. It was sickly and growing at a terrible angle, one where the top branches scraped our neighbor's upstairs window and if it were to fall, it would take out a 1/3rd of their backyard fencing.

I realized once the tree trimmer started climbing the tree: that guy is good. I mean, you've gotta be in that line of work. If you're only OK, you'll drop branches on people's heads, you'll take a fall from 50 feet up, or otherwise make a mess of things really easily. This guy was hanging over our neighbor's yard, on a thin branch, with a freaking chainsaw in his hand doing work. I mean, a chainsaw in my hands on the ground is a dangerous weapon... trying to wield that thing while dangling from a diseased tree? That's some talent.

So: respect due to all those people that climb tall, dying trees in small backyards. You're expensive, but you earn that money.

Teuxdeux

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

If you're like me and enjoy lists, Teuxdeux might be just what the doctor ordered.

It's a to-do list webapp. It has no really fancy features; it shows you five days' worth of to-dos at a time plus a Someday bucket. You can drag items from day to day, reorder them, edit them, and cross them off. But it doesn't integrate with anything - no RSS, no iCal, no anything. It's very simple... and that's why I've taken a liking to it.

I've had a difficult time finding a to-do app I can really hang my hat on. But Teuxdeux definitely comes closest, and the price is right. Give it a shot.

Jay Leno Wins Again

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Last night's big news was that NBC was allegedly set to give Jay Leno a show at 11:30 again. This is not a horrible idea.

The scuttlebutt is that NBC will kill The Jay Leno Show (thankfully - what a disaster), and give Leno a new half-hour 11:30-12:00 slot. Conan gets the next hour from 12-1 and then Fallon from 1-2. This is not bad. Here's why.

First, Conan is tanking on The Tonight Show when you look at all demographics. While Conan's viewership is younger, Letterman's reruns (reruns!) beat new Conan episodes back in August. Letterman's been in the news a lot with the Palin comment, an Obama appearance and oh yeah, that whole sleeping with coworkers thing; none of this, amazingly, has hurt him in ratings.

Given that, NBC needs a life preserver. I suspect Conan wouldn't skew over to Leno's style of comedy (although Tonight is softer than Late Night) so a unique idea is to get the big guns going against Letterman again. Who can do that? Well, Leno can. It's very likely that he'll regain everyone that Conan lost, maybe more, and could turn that sinking ship around.

Assuming Leno's show is just a monologue and a few comedy bits with no interviews, that pits Leno's monologue against Letterman's. Leno then tag teams Conan, and he comes in for a full hour. His first half hour almost wins by default unless Letterman has a big-name guest - people would likely choose to see another monologue, right? - and the second half-hour against Ferguson is anyone's guess.

Of course, this doesn't account for Colbert. I suspect his fans may also like Conan, and thus, everyone wins.

All in all, though, I give NBC a little credit for deciding to just change the time slots around a bit. I'd still be peeved if I were Conan - this devalues The Tonight Show - but if you're NBC, and you're looking at pure ratings, it's not a bad idea.

Just the Ten of the Just the Ten of Us Pings By Us, Just. The.

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Friends, Pingers, ladies, gentlemen, I'm proud to stand here before you today to celebrate the Ping's tenth anniversary! We did it! This is our 3,652nd Ping! And out of that, we've only had a handful of duplicates. And missed just a few (which got written anyway, so no one's the wiser.) And, most importantly, out of those 3,652 a whopping 10 Pings have been about the ABC hit TV show Just the Ten of Us.

When I wrote the first few anniversary Pings the web was a very different place. For one, Wikipedia just didn't exist - so entries such as the 2002 look at Bill Kirchenbauer weren't as easy as going to the guy's Wikipedia page. As time went on both Ryan and I decided to branch out a bit. I'd like to take a look back at these ten historic entries and, naturally, pat myself on the back for not forgetting to write the Ping every January 6th.

2000: TV Show of the Day: Just the Ten of Us: The Ping that launched 3,651 other Pings. As noted on our About page (which, in and of itself, is about six years old) the title was a style I thought every Ping would have: "X of the Day." That didn't happen. But it's quaint to look at my lament, "I wish I could watch it now." Thanks to YouTube, I can.

2001: Just the Ten of Us Revisited: Ah, note how there's a little more information on the web now. And note that not a single one of those external links works. So temporary, this web.

2002: Bill Kirchenbauer: The real star of Skatetown, U.S.A.. This was the first year I decided to focus on the stars of the show. We'll see how long that lasts.

2003: Deborah Harmon: This now reads like I just scanned the IMDb entry and made something up. Er. Well. Yeah. I wonder if Robert ever got her contact number. And we know how Nick at Nite turned out, Ryan.

2004: Jo Ann Willette: I reveal a crush - my favorite Lubbock Girl. Boy, she looks different today. Then again, the show went off the air nearly 20 years ago. Wrap your head around that.

2005: Just the Ten of Us at the Movies: The star streak is broken. Ryan and I team up for a Ping; I recall that I had a hard time finding time to actually write this due to a ridiculously demanding day job. But that's in the past now. Ah, and, uh, let's forget about that whole Book of Ping thing, shall we? (Remember: never announce something before it's done.)

2006: Just the Ten of Us Connections: Ryan B., this Ping is for you.

2007: Jump the Shark of Us?!?: The title still makes me chuckle. The funny/sad part is, of course, that Jump the Shark is no longer with us. I wonder if Pinger Maria would be interested in re-enacting an episode with her Barbies for our 11th anniversary? And note that Ryan B. came back! Nice!

2008: Just the Ten of Us: The Finale: I like Pinger Rob's alternate ending for the series:

A fun way to end the series would've been to reveal the fact that Coach Lubbock has been sterile for years and that he's not the father of any of the kids. A tearful meeting with the various fathers would ensue, complete with brownies.

2009: Matt Shakman: And here I go, back with the 'on again, off again' star-focused Pings. Interesting that he moved into directing and... I think... is that Ryan B. again in the comments? I think so!

2010: Just the Ten of the Just the Ten of Us Pings By Us, Just. The.: The tenth in this series, I decided to look back at each year's JTTOU Ping in an effort to avoid doing any new research on the show or its stars. Clever! And really self-congratulatory! Let's hope Ryan B. comments.

Whew. What a blast... from the past!

While I'm loathe to make another announcement that won't come to fruition, I will say that Ryan and I are keenly aware of the pain that is our current CMS, and how commenting never worked for my good friend Liz once we moved to it, and how it doesn't make links links, and all of that stuff. Can I tell you that we know about this and we think it sucks too? And that we'll do our best? That sounds good to me.

All in all, though, I'm truly humbled and amazed that this little site is still chugging along ten years on. Ryan and I have seen our lives change dramatically in that time period (and that might be another interesting Ping, sometime) and yet, the Ping is still here. Every day we carve out a chunk of time to write something for you and for us. We were here before the blogosphere, we were here before Twitter and Facebook, and we were here before PayPal. (Really!) It's our hope that we can continue to provide you the web's finest resource for how to unclog a toilet for many more Pings to come.

Dead and Then Not Dead

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

This morning I fired up a new edition of a podcast and at the beginning, the hosts dedicated the episode to the memory of Zelda Rubenstein. This was saddening to me because not only was Rubenstein one of the highlights of the Poltergeist franchise, her role as a dominating psychic mother in the underrated Anguish is an overlooked performance that tops her better-known efforts, in my opinion.

It was explained on the podcast that late in December, Rubenstein was taken off of life support and wasn't expected to survive very long.

Except she did.

Apparently, she was taken off of life support on December 29th after suffering kidney and lung failure. But she didn't die... indeed, "On January 2, 2010, friends reported she was not near death, and was well on her way to recovery."

Recovery! From lung and kidney failure! After being on life support for a month! That's a serious will to live right there and, assuming the reporting is correct, my hat's off to you, Ms. Rubenstein.

(Interesting fact I learned: Zelda Rubenstein was on an episode of Mr. Belvedere titled "Bad Marsha.")

Cell Phone Pricing: Still a PITA

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

People who know me know I like things to be simple. I like straightforward things. Things that are easy to understand. (Like sentence fragments!)

Therefore, cell phone pricing is my enemy.

This past weekend The Wife and I spent some time considering the move back to cell phones as our primary phones. We had switched away from them and use a landline for primary contact with prepaid cell phones providing an ancillary role. But doing solely prepaid can be tricky, especially when one needs to check email on a phone whose screen can hold as many characters as a VIC-20.

But the pricing is what kills everything. First of all, for both of us to get iPhones with unlimited data, text messaging, and voice would be nearly $300 per month. That's not how we want to spend our money. We looked at Sprint (mostly for the Pre). One can get unlimited mobile-to-mobile, text, and data, but not unlimited calls to landlines, for something like $130 (shared on a family plan.) That's okay.

The overall frustrating thing is that "unlimited" needs those quotation marks; it's rarely actually unlimited. With mobile broadband, some providers cap you or throttle your bandwidth. With mobile voice, you may pay roaming charges. And then there's the nickel-and-diming for features with nickels that are $20 and dimes that are $40 per month.

I still think there's an opportunity for a provider to do truly unlimited calls, text, and data for a flat fee that isn't through the roof. Some come close, but given the state of the cell phone industry it's not surprising that this is a big ol' mess.

My iPod May Live Forever

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

My iPod is four years old. I mistakenly thought it was five years old. But I'm starting to think it's going to live for a long, long time.

I replaced the battery on it earlier this year - a cost-savings measure, frankly, versus buying an iPod touch. But the touch beckoned. "Buy me! I'm only about 10 times what you paid for that battery!" And I was tempted. But the iPod still worked just fine and did all I need it to do, really.

Then my wife went to play some music from it and... nothing. The screen was frozen in time from 7:48 the prior night. It was unresponsive. No magic button presses revived it. The iPod touch was behind it. I'm sure it was. "I'm cheaper than ever! You just got a gift certificate from Amazon!" it said.

When I brought the iPod back in the house last night, though, a quick press of the menu button brought it back to life. Its battery was nearly depleted, but it worked fine. While the iPod touch was angry, my wallet remained content.

New Year's Haiku

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Yay! The new year's here!
And two years from now, we'll be
obliterated.

2010

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Now that 2009 is over, there's a big question at hand: how are you going to say "2010?"

"Two thousand and ten" and "two thousand ten" sound a little long to my ears, although I did say "two thousand nine." "Twenty ten" is nice and short and easy, I say. It's not as if we'll be saying "two thousand thirty seven," right? Or will we?

Why are Belgian waffles so darn tasty?

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I like waffles.

I also like Belgian waffles. A lot.

What's the difference? It's not just the size of the waffle's indentations. In fact, it's a whole lot more:

There are three main types of Belgian Waffles. First gaufre de Bruxelles, second gallette, and finally gaufre de Liege. I’ve only tried two of the different kinds, but I’ve been doing my research. A Brussels waffle is rectangular and usually topped with powdered sugar and then whatever topping you want to pay for, ice cream, chocolate, and fruit (no syrup). I haven’t tried one, but apparently they’re lighter than gaufre de Liege. They do have deeper holes than the waffles we’re used to.

Gallettes are like waffle cookies. They’re small and round with very, very shallow holes. They’re the mother of waffle cones I think. You mostly buy them at the grocery store, whereas you buy the others either at the grocery store or at waffle stands situated wherever you decide you’re in the mood for a waffle. I had a couple of galletes this morning with chocolate spread. They were yummy.

Finally, the Gaufre de Liege, in other words Liege Waffles. These are by far the most predominant, and for good reason. They’re heavenly! They are nothing like any waffle you can get in our hemisphere. They’re crispy and soft and chewy and sweet and buttery and they have little sugar balls throughout. They average €1,50 each plain and hot, but you can find them cheaper. You can buy packages of them at the grocery store, although they aren’t as good as fresh, they’re still leaps and bounds above even the best Ego waffle you’ve ever had. You can buy the same toppings you put on the Brussels variety. But, unlike any waffle you’ve ever had, it needs nothing. You can eat it completely naked, and people do on far more than a regular basis. (You all know I mean that the waffle is naked, not the eater-of-waffle, although we are an Europe).

I had no idea it was so complicated!

The best week to work

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I've probably said it before, maybe multiple times, but the last week of the year is my favorite week to be at work. It's usually so quiet that the time can be either enjoyed with a leisurely work pace or used to catch up on all of the little things have been neglected throughout the year. There aren't any interruptions and anything you get done is more than the people who are sitting at home.

Throw a three-day weekend into the mix and I'm a happy camper.

Happy new year, Pingers.

New Year's Plans?

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In yet another incredibly lame "holy crap, I'm late for the Ping!" poll, what do you have lined up for New Year's Eve this year?

We've got a pretty simple one lined up: stay at home. We may, just may, head downtown (not meaning downtown DC, incidentally) to see what's happening on First Night. It'll depend on the shortest member of our household and whether she's up for it.

(Can you guess what one of my New Year's resolutions will be?)

Phrases I Thought I'd Be Done Hearing

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

"A post-9/11 world."

However, I'll offset that with some entertainment. An NBC reporter this morning described his flight yesterday under the new, revised, purposely-inconsistent TSA rules: "I was on what was called an 'international' flight, even though I was only coming from Canada...."

Maybe he needs a refresher.

As a bonus, too, the reporter couldn't get up for the entire length of the flight because it was less than an hour. Don't drink any coffee before flying.

Best Movies of the Year

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Yesterday the family went to see a movie, as is tradition on Christmas Day, and this year we chose Up in the Air. After watching it I knew it was one of my favorite movies of the year - a clear 5-star rating for me, and second only to Star Trek as a great film I could watch again and again. I was surprised to be so impressed by something so late in the year, but sure enough, I was.

How about you? What'd you like this year?

Most Outrageous Holiday Wish

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Let's say that for the end-of-year holidays, you get one wish. Money is no object. It can be as outlandish or outrageous as you want... or it can be simple and straightforward. What do you wish for?

Complete this sentence...

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

"Things are so different today with computers and all... I remember when..."

My Idea For Post-Holiday Travel

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Traveling home on the Sunday after Christmas sucks. So here are my two ideas for helping the cars on the road keep moving:

1. Charge nothing for tolls. Let cars breeze through the toll booths, as this is where, inevitably, there's a 2+ mile backup.

2. Charge double for tolls. Encourage people to travel a day earlier.

Or, I suppose, they could cut it down the center and charge normal price...

Bus

nospam@example.com (Ryan) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Here's a random memory I had recently...

For some reason, in the deep dark recesses of my mind, I remember that the bus I took in elementary school was 54-B. At some point, it became 54-G (though maybe the G came first and the B second, not sure).

Why I remember this but forget what I had for dinner last night, I'm not sure. Kelly Bundy syndrome, I guess.

Google Maps Weather?

nospam@example.com (Paul) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As I was looking at the weather forecast for upcoming holiday travel, a very natural question came to mind: why isn't Google doing this?

They have the maps. They have the cleanest interface. They already have a way to look forward and backward in time with traffic view. Why not add a weather layer?