.Mac Web Gallery

I posted some new photos from my recent trip to St. Martin using Apple’s slick web gallery service. Publishing photos to this site is a breeze and the viewing layouts are quite impressive so this will be my photo-sharing tool of choice in the future.

http://gallery.mac.com/jjleistikow

Dear Future Me

Recently, I stumbled upon a fascinating website called Dear Future Me. The site allows users to send themselves an email at any future date up to 30 years. I submitted a message marked five years from now and look forward to that future conversation with myself.

One great feature of the site is the ability to read what others have to say (anonymously) to their future self’s. The letters can get quite personal and often descend into a dark, self-loathing introspection of oneself (which always makes for an interesting read!).

Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard had to say about the site:

"Dear Future Me lets us eavesdrop on the silly, serious, hilarious, and heartbreaking conversations that ordinary people have with the extraordinary people they hope--or fear--they will someday become, providing a fascinating view of the human mind on its one-way trip through time."

Here are a few examples of the public entries for your enjoyment...

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Dear FutureMe,

You're turning twenty-nine in five months. God, seven months just breezed by. Your birthday wasn't that memorable anyway. You didn't get anything for your birthday because after the holidays, no one has money. You just baked yourself a chocolate cake that didn't really look that good. It tasted okay though. But it's depressing. You baked your own birthday cake. How sad is that????

This has got to be the worst year of your life. As nothing significant and important happened. Last year, you were in Europe on a three-week vacation. It was so wonderful. Now, you're down in the dumps because complications have arisen regarding your papers. You so desperately want to start working overseas but you can't do anything about it.

Anyway, you're single and not dating. Are you dating yet??? Or better yet, are you married? Are you still alive???? I hope you don't die yet. I'd hate that. That would be depressing. Take care now. And please do exercise everyday. I've been exercising regularly. So, you better honor the tradition. Exercise, exercise and eat right!!!!!

(written Thu Aug 3, 2006, sent Fri Aug 3, 2007)

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Dear FutureMe,

Well well. Looky here.

So, what have you done with your life? College? Work? Romance? Any of the above? Or are you still in that basement? Still with the computer? Stereotypical nerd in the making, I always called you. And maybe now you're already him. Stereotypical nerd, I mean.

Anyway. Let's hope you aren't still a whiny loser. God, you were insufferable as an 18 year old. I hope by 09 you've done something with your life. And that your future is still...futuristic. Like, existing. Don't let me down!

Signed,
PastMe

(written Mon Feb 13, 2006, to be delivered Fri Feb 13, 2009)

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Dear FutureMe,

Today you’re still with Kim even after all the bullshit she puts you through, the garage is just a form foundation, the house is about half done and waiting, much like your life. Politics is the hot topic and the Republicans are destroying the world and today at least you didn't like it, even though you secretly think sometimes that you wish they would hurry up.

You keep thinking about an affair even though you know you'll probably never do it, and your job sucks and you desperately need to get back to college. But Kim keeps holding you back and spending money you don't have just like the other two did and continue to do.

Maybe this will get you moving, probably not. Either way, I (you) tried.

(written Sun Jan 29, 2006, sent Fri Mar 23, 2007)

Want to see more? Click here to view more public entries.

Twitter

For good or bad, this first decade of the 2000’s will forever be known for the emergence of a peculiar technological and behavioral phenomena, social networking on the Internet. Sure, BBS’s and IRC have been around for years—and were definitely pre-cursors to today’s social networks—but their popularity never came close to matching what we’re seeing today with such sites as MySpace, Facebook, and this blog (kidding!).

Back in the day, I joined Friendster, which at the time, was the top peer networking site on the net but has since been abandoned, for good reason, in the U.S. market. After Friendster fizzled, MySpace quickly became extremely popular—particularly among the youth of America (perhaps this is why I’ve been determined to avoid it all of this time). Today, users, young and old, are moving in masses towards Facebook. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I want to invest any time on that site so if anyone can give me a good reason to join then I may consider it. Oh, I almost forget there’s yet another popular networking site! In the business community it’s called LinkIn, which I did join (see profile) to keep in contact with former co-workers and associates.

On occasion, I’ll continue to contribute to this blog, which I guess is a peer community in its own way. Also, I recently joined the micro-blogging site called Twitter, which allows me to post quick instant messages (at 140 characters or less) from the web or my cell phone. Is it a practical application? I’m not sure yet but I do know we’re a species who love to scan great amounts of useless information for our own entertainment so it may be a fun way to build yet another social network.

Visit my Twitter posts at: http://twitter.com/Leistikow

Free Screen Cleaner

(click to enlarge)

R.I.P. HD-DVD 2005-2008

A while back on this blog, I anticipated that the HD-DVD format would prevail over Blue-ray in the next generation format war. I was wrong. Today, Toshiba (the makers of HD-DVD) announced that they will be ceasing production and marketing of their HD-DVD format thus officially dropping them out of the race.

This is great news for consumers, like myself, who have been holding out on these players until a clear winner emerged. But, yikes! Too bad for the 1.3 million customers who are now stuck with an obsolete player.

Music 2007

I can’t seem to break the habit of posting some sort of “best of” list at the end of each year. Here are some songs—well, many songs—that have gotten my attention over the past year. As always, you can sample them via the link on iTunes.

Click here to enter my “Favorite Songs of 2007” iMix.

Hostile Nation

It was inevitable. Our city’s success is beginning to wear on the vulnerable minds of fans in the rest of the sporting world.

As one who appreciates the role of the underdog, I understand and respect the backlash. This doesn’t mean that I’ll be rooting for the Rockies tomorrow night but I do give them much props for what they’ve recently accomplished. If Cleveland had taken game five of the ALCS then I’m sure that I would have backed the Cinderella challenger along with the rest of the nation.

See, this bully can be sensitive too.

Golden Age of Boston Sports

Last night’s unlikely surge to win the American League pennant may not have triggered the same elation as the Red Sox’ ALCS miracle of 2004, but it certainly feels that the wave of Boston success that began in 2001 (shortly after I arrived in town—yes, you’re welcome) has a ways to go before it rides to shore. Here’s a glance at where we stand on this day in the Golden Age of Boston Sports.

-- The Red Sox came from 3-1 down to defeat the Cleveland Indians for the American League championship on Sunday night to face the Colorado Rockies in the World Series beginning Wednesday night.

-- The Patriots are 7-0 for the first time in franchise history, and quarterback Tom Brady is two touchdowns away from surpassing his career high of 28 TDs in a season -- with nine games left.

-- Boston College is sitting in the 2nd hottest seat in college football behind only that of Ohio State on the AP Top 25.

-- The Celtics start their season next week with high expectations for Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

-- The New England Revolution are playing in their sixth-straight Major League Soccer playoffs.

iDay Has Arrived

Americans love their cell phones. They love their digital cameras, their Internets, their e-mail, their wacky You Tube videos, and many would find it hard to live without their beloved iPods.

So, naturally, there was a lot of hype leading up to today’s release of Apple’s new iPhone — a pocket-size gadget that incorporates all of these wonderful things together. I must admit that I too find it hard not to lust after this beautiful little machine. However, I’m not so much in love with the $499 price-tag. Therefore, I can stand to wait for a couple years until the time comes when the iPhone is a bit cheaper (the first iPod was once $499 and I'm willing to bet that their phone will eventually shrink in price as well).

After work, I headed over to the local Apple Store in Cambridge to check out the festivities (the phone officially went on sale at 6PM). As I was walking to the store, I passed a discrete warehouse containing a plaque marking the site of the first two-way phone call between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant. I was amused considering I was on my way to see another “revolutionary” new communication device (that’s Apple words, not mine).

When I got to the store, it was a circus of die-hard Mac geeks, euphoric Apple staff, and lustful admirers (like myself). I snapped this shot using my ugly and useless Motorola RAZR phone. Can you sense my iEnvy?

How We All Really Feel About Paris

Oh, sweet Paris. How the world has been so unfair to you.

A Visit to the Institute of Contemporary Art

Now that spring is in full swing and the cool harbor winds have died down somewhat, I decided it was time to reconnect with the waterfront. I had yet to visit the latest addition to the harborfront, the new Institute of Contemporary Art, so I decided to check it out and see if all of the recent praise heaped upon the museum’s architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro was warranted.

The building, which made its debut over the winter, is both elegant and contemporary clad in glass, steel, and wood (thankfully, no bricks as this city didn’t need another brick building). It was impressive and certainly innovative but not quite as provocative as some of the other projects in the Diller Scofidio + Renfro portfolio. It’s my understanding that the museum’s directors wanted that of a striking building but didn’t want it too distractive that it would take away from the art inside. I can think of quite a few museums that I’ve visited where the building itself is more impressive than the work inside, which isn’t exactly ideal for that what a museum wishes to achieve.



As mentioned in an earlier post (written at the time of building’s groundbreaking), one of the highlights of the building’s design is the surreal media center that slopes down towards the water providing a captivating view in which only the water is visible. The decision to use all iMacs in the lab gives it a nice contemporary touch. Visitors can use the computers to peruse the museum’s collection or watch videos on a variety of art subjects.

The museum’s current exhibits were decent but nothing spectacular. Unfortunately, the entire west wing was in-between exhibits so with that wing closed the building’s normally small exhibit space seemed even that much smaller. The permanent collection had a few gems by artists such as Julian Opie (Suzanne walking in leather skirt), Cornelia Parker (Hanging Fire), and Lucy McKenzie (Untitled, 2004). If you really want to appreciate the collections in their fullest, the museum provides a free audio tour on their website. You can load the tour on your portable media player and take it along on your visit.

Check out the Boston Globe's coverage of the new ICA for more information on the collections or to view a tour of the new building.

Home of the Braves

Besides sharing a mutual love for the craft of brewing excellent beer, Boston and my hometown of Milwaukee share another common identity—they are both former hometowns of the Braves baseball franchise.

To those who are unaware of the origins of the Braves, The Boston Phoenix did a fine job digging up the past in the recent article Home of the Braves—Did The Wrong Team Leave? The article reminisces on the Braves early years and considers the impact that Hank Aaron might have had as a folk hero in Boston at a time when the city was engaged in a great deal of racial turbulence.

Fifty years ago this fall, a Boston team beat the Yankees in the World Series. Fifty-five years ago, a Boston team signed the greatest home-run hitter who ever lived. Fifty-seven years ago, a Boston team became one of the first in the major leagues to integrate — and its first African-American player went on to win the Rookie of the Year award. That team, obviously, was not the Red Sox. That team was the Boston Braves.

That is, they used to be the Boston Braves, though by the time they achieved these milestones they had moved to Milwaukee — lured by a new stadium and a baseball-hungry fan base after several seasons of paltry attendance in Boston — and then later Atlanta, which they currently call home. (continue to article)

If the Braves never left Boston then who knows if Milwaukee’s Bud Selig would have ever entertained the thought of starting a new team in town? If Milwaukee’s absence of baseball had occurred then former Boston players like Warren Spahn, Ben Oglivie and Cecil Cooper would likely have learned all of their knowledge of the Cheese State from Happy Days. The paradox of time is so confounding that perhaps it’s best that we not continue down the path of “what if” to avoid my own Bostonian existence from evaporating into thin air.


The Boston Braves played 44 seasons at the South End Grounds (1871-1914) [top in photo] prior to moving to Braves Field (1915-52) [bottom in photo]. After Boston, the team moved to Milwaukee County Stadium (1953-65) and later, settled in Atlanta at Fulton County Stadium (1966-96) and Turner Field (1997-present).

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Speaking of these two baseball cities, both towns have much to celebrate this week as the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers sit perched at the top of their respective leagues. It may only be 1/5 of the way into the season but there’s no reason not to enjoy their early successes. Coincidentally, the Atlanta Braves rank third in the league.

Top Five Win Percentages in MLB (as of May 10th)
Milwaukee (NL) 24-10 .706 (lead division by 7 games ahead of 16-16 Cubs)
Boston (AL) 23-10 .697 (lead division by 7 games ahead of 16-17 Yankees)
Atlanta (NL) 22-12 .647
Detroit (AL) 21-12 .636
New York Mets (NL) 21-12 .636

Huge Fight at Symphony Hall Leaves 50 Dead

Last night, Boston’s Symphony Hall—normally a reliable sanctuary for civility and manners—was the setting of an altercation between two men in the balcony during the Boston Pops opening-night concert. Due to the bizarre nature of the story, it quickly circulated around the net today with headlines such as Massive Brawl Erupts at Symphony Hall and Boston Pops Hosts Battle Royale. You can view a video of the scuffle and judge for yourself whether or not it deserves the “massive brawl” or “battle royal” banners (the media’s sensationalism often tickles me). The New York Times has one of the better reports of last night’s event.

So, the media, in general, wasn’t the best source for what transpired but, still, I was curious to find out what exactly happened. Did the crazy pizza-rage guy from Fenway Park (of whom I wrote about last month) somehow find his way inside the historic music hall? After some searching, I finally got to the bottom of the story via the message board on boston.com.

Cynthia and moi witnessed the whole shameful event. It all started when the heathen sitting in the less than desirable seat in the balcony, must have been a Yale man, accidentally spilled his glass of Dom Perignon onto the blazer of the gentleman sitting next to him. He said "excuse me sir", to which the gentleman with the wet blazer replied, Sir! I demand satisfaction! He then stood up and scolded him severely! Well, Cynthia almost fainted at the sight of such roughhewns and I summoned the chauffer and we were whisked back to Winchester. I must say it will be some time before we dare to go back to the Pops again!

Okay, that obviously wasn’t real but I found it damn funny anyway! Here’s the real scoop:

Ok, I'm the blond guy that got sucker punched by that jerk in the blue shirt. Story goes like this...

After talking with his wife/mistress/girlfriend through the entire first piece, I tap this guy on the shoulder with my program and give him the "shhh" finger-to-the-lips motion. After the second and third pieces, they continued to talk through the entire show, so I tap him again and ask him to 'please be quiet, this is the symphony after all', at which point he turns around and threatens to throw me over the balcony if I touch him again.

So I go out to report him to an usher, and as I walk back in, he gets up and gets in my face. So at this point I'm completely baffled, 'cus who does that at the POPs?!! Then out of nowhere, he throws a right to my temple and grabs onto my hair with his left hand. My girlfriend gets in the middle of everything to try and get him off (yeah, the white dress is a good one), and we're both kicked out.

The moral of this story; the meat-heads of the world have taken over every last piece of civility society has to offer, and now you can't even ask somebody to stop talking through the symphony w/o worrying about getting in a fight. What a night. Charges will be pressed.

A Gift for Your Mom and Mother Earth

Your mom is special and so is the planet. So, wouldn’t it make sense to make both of them happy this Mother’s Day? I stumbled upon an online eco-florist service that does just that! Organic Bouquet sells flowers grown using sustainable practices (techniques that aim to minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, improve the quality of farm working conditions, and enhance the quality of the environmental for future generations).

As a bonus, the proceeds from the sales of some arrangements also benefit charities dedicated to causes such as social justice and wildlife conservation. As an example, the HSUS Rose Bouquet donates 5% of the retail price to the Humane Society of the United States for the prevention of exploited and neglected animals.

Here some other “green” gifts that allow you to show your love for both your mom and the environment.

What does $456 billion buy?

By September of this year, the total cost of the Iraq war will have reached $456 billion. The Boston Globe explores other ways that taxpayer money could have been spent.

2,949 Newton North High Schools
Tagged as the most expensive high school in Massachusetts, at $154.6 million, Newton North High School could be replicated almost 3,000 times using the money spent on the war.

30 Big Digs
At almost $15 billion, Boston's Central Artery project has been held up as the nation's most expensive public works project. Now multiply that by 30 and you're getting close to US taxpayer’s commitment to democracy in Iraq… so far.

Free gas for everybody for 1.2 years
US drivers consume approximately 384.7 million gallons of gasoline a day. Retail prices averaged $2.64 a gallon in 2006. Breaking it down, $456 billion could buy gasoline for everybody in the United States, for about 449 days.

Or go green (with ethanol)
With just one-sixth of the US money targeted for the Iraq war, you could convert all cars in America to run on ethanol.

14.5 million years through Harvard (44 million at UMass)
At published rates for next year, $456 billion translates into 14.5 million free rides for a year at Harvard; 44 million at UMass.

Medicare benefits for one year
In fiscal 2008, Medicare benefits will total $454 billion, according to a Heritage Foundation summary.

A LONG-term contract
The Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka agreed on a six-year, $52 million contract. The war cost could be enough to have Dice-K mania for another 52,615 years at this year's rate.

Need more perspective?
According to World Bank estimates, $54 billion a year would eliminate starvation and malnutrition globally by 2015, while $30 billion would provide a year of primary education for every child on earth. At the upper range of those estimates, the $456 billion cost of the war could have fed and educated the world's poor for five and a half years.

In comparison, the Vietnam War cost the country $111 billion (that's roughly $549 billion when adjusted for inflation). If the President continues to get his way, we can expect to surpass that number within the next couple years. You don’t have to be a financial wiz to understand that this occupation may be one of the worst investments in the history of this great nation.

Letter to Editor

On first read, it appears that the author of this editorial lacks knowledge of even the simplest components of the universe. Fortunately, the viewpoint was meant to be tongue-and-cheek. Then again, this isn’t that far off from the typical nonsensical ramblings of many global warming skeptics.

By the way, Connie, everyone knows the daylight savings legislation was passed by the Republican congress so don’t go blaming liberals for disturbing the unyielding schedule of Helios and his mighty sun chariot.

“21” Filming in Boston

For those interested in catching a live film shoot in Boston you may want to head over to the Charles River on Sunday. The Mass. Ave. bridge (connecting Boston and Cambridge) will be shut off to traffic from 6am to 3pm for the filming of the movie “21”.

The film, starring Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, The Usual Suspects), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Mystic River), and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns), is based on the popular book, Bringing Down The House. The author describes it as “the true story about six MIT students who trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions”.

2007 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography

Damn, this is one of the saddest series of photographs that I’ve seen in a long while. There’s not much I can say about it other than the obvious—be thankful for the health of your loved ones considering things could be much, much worse.

In 20 pictures, a poignant portrayal of a single mother and her young son as he loses his battle with cancer.