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So ends Segway week. Thanks again, Segways SF Bay.

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

So ends Segway week. Thanks again, Segways SF Bay.

Shuggie Otis - Strawberry Letter #23 I get excited when I find...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:00:00 -0400

Shuggie Otis - Strawberry Letter #23

I get excited when I find out a song I already like was a cover and there’s an original version I’ve just never heard (see previous posts about Take Me to the River and Just a Friend).

Thanks to the Jackie Brown soundtrack I’ve known The Brothers Johnson version of Strawberry Letter #23 for years, but I just discovered Shuggie’s original and I think this is the way the song was meant to be enjoyed. That said, I have yet to listen to Akon’s 2010 update.

This track comes off Shuggie’s Inspiration Information, one of the 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die. It’s the first thing that’s gotten me to stop listening to Big Boi in weeks.

Photo

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0400

Half Dome, as seen from the Yosemite Falls Trail. Not sure if...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:55:00 -0400

Half Dome, as seen from the Yosemite Falls Trail.

Not sure if it’s my new (just a point-and-shoot) camera or the software’s getting better, but I had a lot more success than usual with panoramas this trip.

Full(ish) resoloution

Photo

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:00:00 -0400

I feel like I have to cut the Segway pictures with some shots...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:10:00 -0400

I feel like I have to cut the Segway pictures with some shots from Yosemite, just so you guys don’t think all I did on vacation was look awesome on a Segway.

I made this panoramic out of 12 shots using the free, open-source Hugin. It’s not especially easy to use, but it did a really nice job. The full resolution version is a 24,338 × 2706 TIF (242 mb). Anyone have a good idea on how to post it?

(via the AV Club)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:01:30 -0400

(via the AV Club)

I am pretty seriously considering posting a picture of myself on...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:54:08 -0400

I am pretty seriously considering posting a picture of myself on a Segway every day for the rest of the week.

Believe me, I have enough pictures.

(unfortunately, you are not allowed to bring Segways to...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:03:06 -0400

(unfortunately, you are not allowed to bring Segways to Yosemite. It’s pretty great anyway)

I have never been more satisfied with a business than I was with...

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:55:00 -0400

I have never been more satisfied with a business than I was with Segway SF Bay. A few minutes ago I registered an account with Yelp just to leave the following review:

Since at least the first season of Arrested Development, I’ve wanted to ride a Segway. Most major cities have at least one Segway tour but what they don’t get is that I’m not interested in a tour, I just want to ride a gyroscope that tops out at 12 mph. Segway SF Bay understands that.

For the cost of a traditional Segway tour, Segway SF Bay will just give you a Segway for 3 hours and let you go wherever the hell you want. The clock doesn’t start until after a quick training session in Golden Gate Park, and you don’t have to waste any of your valuable Segway time standing in a semi-circle politely listening to boring anecdotes about Alcatraz.

Recklessly riding a Segway and saying, “good afternoon,” to everyone I passed was as fun as I always hoped it would be. Also, as a somewhat unexpected bonus, I really did get to see a lot of San Francisco. In our three hours we covered about 15 miles. Some quick research shows that guided Segway tours in San Francisco have an itinerary that barely gets you out of Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s really great to see a city at a pace that’s faster than walking, slower than a car, and sillier than a bicycle.

Our pointman at Segway SF Bay, Charlie, was terrific. He told us that if we were running late to just take our time and be safe, and thoughtfully brought everyone gloves (think about how cold you would get on a bike if you weren’t, you know, moving at all). My Segway posse foolishly thought two hours would be enough time, but when we realized we wanted to keep going we were able to extend our rental with an easy phone call.

Segway SF Bay is a small business, and I strongly recommend it to both tourists who want to explore the area around Golden Gate Park and locals who want to ride Segways without any supervision. I wish someone would open a similar service in Central Park for my next birthday party.

This was a lot of fun, Joey and Nikki rule. I can’t...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:45:37 -0400

This was a lot of fun, Joey and Nikki rule. I can’t believe kids know Frogger, a 30-year-old game, because people are still ripping it off.

bleepbloopblog:

Bleep Bloop: Kid-Testing the Classics

What do an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old think of 20-year-old games?

I’m on vacation and I’m never coming back.

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:50:30 -0400

I’m on vacation and I’m never coming back.

Carry-on luggage, just in case of some sort of Lost-like...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:53:44 -0400

Carry-on luggage, just in case of some sort of Lost-like scenario.

The odds aren’t great on the subway this weekend.

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:05:58 -0400

The odds aren’t great on the subway this weekend.

Streeter doesn’t get my avant-garde...

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:39:00 -0400

Streeter doesn’t get my avant-garde comedy.

streeter:

Jeff posted this by accident due to some iPhone glitch and very quickly took it down. That didn’t stop 5 Rubinheads from liking it, though. Jeff, you have some seriously devoted fans to get 5 likes on a letter.

http://tehrealjebus.tumblr.com/post/816473795/lost

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:05:00 -0400

http://tehrealjebus.tumblr.com/post/816473795/lost:

This is the most proud I’ve ever been about anything ever. The absurd amount of blog posts about Lost a few months ago have all been retroactively justified.

I’d like to say thanks to Jeff Rubin and everyone else from CH for getting me hooked on Lost. I watched the whole first season in about 24 hours.

Now that the video is out, here’s some more pictures from...

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:23:00 -0400

Now that the video is out, here’s some more pictures from bald day. I felt like I was in an Eddie Murphy DVD special feature.

The baldness was done by Anna Tendler, but the goatee was all Jeff Rubin.

This took a whole day but I had a great time doing it and love...

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:31:28 -0400

This took a whole day but I had a great time doing it and love the final product.

Just watched Road House (again) and this time I got to see it on...

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:52:00 -0400

Just watched Road House (again) and this time I got to see it on VHS. This amazing ad played before the movie.

I tried Googling “1-900-988-6666.” Sometime after February of 1990 the Roadhouse Challenge ended the number became a Speed Seduction Hotline. You can call and, for just $2 per minute, learn techniques like, “Amplifying Her Lust,” “Creating Instantaneous Attraction Within Minutes of Meeting Her,” and “Destroying Her Last Minute Resistance to Screwing.”

Of course, you can learn all that and more for much cheaper by just letting the VHS play and watching Road House.

I’ve been really into German boardgames lately. It’s...

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:22:37 -0400

I’ve been really into German boardgames lately. It’s like videogames were getting too mainstream and I needed to find a new way to be a giant loser.

(above: Carcassonne. Photo credit: Amir C)