On Adam

Yes!

2012-02-05T21:25:00.002-06:00

12505 / 12507

2010-10-27T01:03:00.002-05:00

Round two of the 48 Hour Film Challenge is a wrap. I got to work with many of the same people as last time which was a nice surprise. We drew the genre Buddy Film and had to include the character Sidney Sanders (a piano tuner), the prop broccoli, and the line "You dont have a leg to stand on." It was a great weekend and I had a blast working with the cast and crew. Im very proud of the finished product and I look forward to the next one. Make sure HD is on when you watch it!

Drunk History

2010-10-27T01:01:00.000-05:00

Drunk History Vol. 5 w/ Will Ferrell, Don Cheadle & Zooey Deschanel from Will Ferrell

The Mis-Informant

2010-10-22T00:12:00.001-05:00

The Mis-Informant: Part 2 with Jack Black as Nathan Spewman from Jack Black

Finally!

2010-09-27T19:19:00.002-05:00

Retired Military Personnel To Confirm UFO Incursions at American Nuclear Weapons Sites

Improv!

2010-09-25T22:38:00.003-05:00

Jacob's Patience

2010-09-15T00:59:00.001-05:00

1:

2.

World Basketball Festival: Signature Moves

2010-09-15T00:54:00.000-05:00

World Basketball Festival: Signature Moves

Awesome Product!

2010-09-15T00:53:00.000-05:00

Click Here!

Skitells

2010-09-15T00:52:00.000-05:00

Brain Dump

2010-09-15T00:39:00.002-05:00

Finally getting around to posting some things that have made me laugh or inspired me over the last few months, in completely random order. Mostly things that have made me laugh. Here it goes!

Awesome!

2010-03-30T01:35:00.004-05:00

What it be

Source!

Download This!

2010-02-16T19:48:00.003-06:00

Amazing mash up of various Beatles and Wu-tang songs.

Torrent!

One of the Dumbest Ideas I Have Ever Heard

2010-02-15T13:13:00.002-06:00

I'm going to cut to the point of this link. Utah State Senator Chris Buttars is proposing to eliminate the 12th grade to help alleviate his states projected 700 million dollar budget shortfall for 2010. To be fair he has since scaled back his proposal to make it "optional" for students in the 12th grade to attend. How this in anyway would help is beyond me?

Most states (including Utah) have options for students to graduate early, or bypass the 12th grade and go straight to work or college. They even offer you an option called dropping out where you can choose to leave school and never come back, even before your senior year. I am very pro public education, and a little biased growing up with parents that were educators. But I can't see how cutting a year of K-12 education will help with the real problems of their budget shortfalls.

Public education has been around for a long time and should be for decades to come. This is not some new frivolous expense the state has been wasting money on. I'm sure there is probably some reformation needed in the Utah school system but eliminating a grade should not be an option on the table. Where else is state funding going? What subsidies are being given to local industries? How much is going to state senator salaries and their expenses?

I think senior year is incredibly important in both a student and a teenagers development. Even if they slack off and don't take their education seriously that year, it doesn't mean that they aren't growing as a person. I also don't think that many people really blow off their entire senior year. Mine wasn't terribly difficult, but none of high school really was. Senior year was by far one of the best experiences of my secondary education. I had a handful of challenging classes mixed with some time to figure out where I was going next in life. I would not have been ready for college at 17, and it would have been a poor use of my time to start working a full time job where I was just another warm body. I think we forget sometimes that one of the greatest things you learn in school is how to interact with other human beings.

Back to the drawing board Senator Buttars. Terrible idea.

Art!

2010-02-09T18:37:00.005-06:00

Artist (Click Buy Art Here)

Source!

Awesome!

2010-02-08T22:53:00.002-06:00

Amazing paint schemes used in WWI to throw off enemy targets.

Source!

The Lady and the Reaper

2010-02-08T22:42:00.002-06:00

Source!

Sustainability Rules!

2010-02-08T18:58:00.002-06:00

Pretty cool idea coming out of Denver.

HaHa! Your Government Is A Sham!

2010-02-03T00:30:00.004-06:00

This is so ridiculous its almost laughable. But its really not.

Awesome!

2010-02-03T00:16:00.003-06:00

If this is real this is unbelievable!

Thanks Jane!

Farewell!

2010-01-28T12:13:00.001-06:00

Conan Says Goodbye with Will Ferrell & Freebird - watch more funny videos

10 Legendary Bassists

2010-01-26T21:21:00.004-06:00

The title of this post pretty much says it all. Cant say I disagree with anybody on the list. Cliff Burton and Buddy Hankerson are unbelievable.

Thanks Justin!

Death Metal Rooster

2010-01-14T17:03:00.004-06:00

Death Metal Rooster - watch more funny videos

My Hero

2010-01-13T15:04:00.003-06:00

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

If you dont know what this letter is about peep this!

Its awesome to see an artist and a great entertainer stand up for their work and not ruin a legacy that has been their dream.

Yes Yes Yes!

2010-01-08T12:34:00.002-06:00

Finally an American car company actually doing something innovative. Thanks Ben!

Seriously?

2010-01-07T22:51:00.005-06:00

My roommates and I received this letter the other day from the apartment complex where we live just outside of Denver, and I had to laugh. The letter warns of an emergency freeze notice due to severe subfreezing temperatures, and urges all residents to keep all of their faucets running at a slow drip for 24 hours a day for 4+ days.

This building was built less than a year ago in Colorado...where its cold enough to snow...which means cold enough for water to freeze. How is it possible that we have a legitimate risk of a pipe bursting?? Wouldn't you take extra care to shield pipes from the elements when building new? Did the builder actually think that it wouldn't get to freezing or below, and there would never be a risk to pipes being exposed to extreme cold?

The answer is apparently no. All of the hallways throughout the building are essentially open breezeways. There is no insulation between the exterior walls and the hall, and the staircases freely allow air to pass through the metal slats that act as walls. Most of the units have bathrooms that share a wall with the hallway, and in those walls are all the pipes. In another use of genius design, some of the units have laundry machines that but up against exterior walls with little to no insulation leaving those pipes exposed to extreme temperatures as well. I am amazed this place was approved to be built.

Needless to say this is not the only complaint that I have about the building. I haven't really had a problem with an apartment I have lived in before but I cannot wait to get out of this one. And this is probably the nicest looking apartment I have ever lived in. Build it right the first time and it HAS to save money in the long run. Plus you will retain more long term renters.

The Swarm of the Locusts

2010-01-07T22:16:00.004-06:00

I was recently sent this link by a friend and colleague in the roofing business. The author wrote this in August, but Im willing to bet his opinion and attitude still stand. At this point in my life I work for an exterior construction company in the Denver area primarily doing exterior work for customers with insurance claims. I pursued this career path because of my passion for construction and my interest in managing projects of all types. It also affords me the opportunity to continue helping small businesses grow. Not really important, but gives reason to why this article peaked my interest.

I empathize with the frustration the author has in seeing fly by night companies diminishing the value of his industry and his work, but its hard to take him seriously when he lists zero criteria for determining who the locusts are and how they are negatively impacting his city. Catastrophic storms in populated areas do a lot of damage to homes fast and indiscriminately. As a result thousands of people are suddenly in dire need of construction work, insurance is going to pay for said work, and they are ready to act on it fast. It is impossible in almost any major market hit by a hail storm, for local companies alone to respond adequately to the storm. There is too much work and most insurance companies require a claim to be filed within a year or less. It would be unfair for homeowners to be forced to live with a faulty roof, or broken windows for a year or more just so a local company could do the work. As a result a lot of companies come from out of town to take advantage of the high volume of contracts.

There are companies in the exterior construction business, in this case referred to as “storm chasers,” that take advantage of trusting homeowners. The most frequent way this happens is the “storm chaser” will come to town from out of state, perform the bare minimum of code requirements, half ass the overall work and customer experience, and then split town when they have enough jobs under their belt leaving the homeowner with nobody to contact in the event of a leak or other repair issue. The worst case scenario is when a company will demand money up front before construction begins, and then disappear without ever performing any work.

As a business It is important to differentiate yourself from those that behave this way, but being from another state does not inherently make you a bad business. The author makes a blanket accusation that all construction companies coming from out of town are locusts, and a scourge for the city. Yet in the same article he points out that a similar storm in 1990 to the Denver area changed the roofing industry for the good for the next 15 years. Im willing to bet there were plenty of “storm chasers” swarming then too.

Rather than waste time vilifying specific companies or worse, an industry as a whole, I think a better use of time is educating consumers. It seems common sense to research a contractor before you use them, but maybe that needs to be reinforced more. I encourage homeowners to research other companies. I have yet to lose a bid when I do that because they can see that I am proud of our work and welcome the comparison to others. Furthermore, help educate consumers on the right questions to ask. I once met with a homeowner who had a list of things to ask that he had received from someone else. I welcomed this because it reminded me of what’s important to homeowners and helped him learn the process as we went through each question.

In almost every industry it benefits the businesses involved to work together. Capitalism is at its best when companies are engaged in healthy competition towards more efficient work and a better product/service. The author says he respects capitalism, so he should respect legitimate companies that use storms as a way to establish a presence in a new market with far less risk. Catastrophic storms afford construction companies the opportunity to get 100's of jobs under their belt in a short period of time. In our case, as we establish a presence in Colorado, this gives us a huge leg up. Construction companies are judged on the work they perform and the customers reactions to it. If I have 10 completed jobs with high customer satisfaction and you have 1, chances are Im going to convince more customers than you, to work with me. That doesn't mean I do better work than you. I simply have more history, and in this industry that equates to trust, which in turn leads to sales.

There is plenty of work to go around and there will be for some time. The author should spend more of his time talking with and educating consumers, or praising quality work of his peers.

Awesome!

2010-01-05T11:16:00.002-06:00

Easy iphone app builder for anyone that has a blog.

Source!

Wait, What?

2009-11-24T11:54:00.003-06:00

The video has no audio so I have to preface this. Although this looks like a handful of prison inmates attacking a guard, this is actually a video of one inmate attacking the guard and a handful of other inmates coming to his rescue. One of the guys even got on the radio to alert other prison guards. The 4 main guys that help are all in prison awaiting trial for violent crimes including attempted murder.

Story

Home Town Hero

2009-11-13T12:17:00.005-06:00

I just noticed that I have officially hit the 100 post mark! To celebrate I want to party with Jared Allen.

Thanks Dave

My Sentiments Exactly

2009-11-08T22:30:00.001-06:00

If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do work that matters, this is it. You can't say, "but I need to make a fortune instead," because that's not happening right now. So you might as well join the people who can say, "I love doing this."

-Seth Godin

Source

Unbelievable

2009-11-05T15:12:00.001-06:00

Ride or Die

2009-10-28T00:51:00.003-05:00

By no means am I anywhere near the caliber of these riders but both of these films get me itching to ride.

Teaser for TGR's new movie: Source

Probably the greatest snowboard film of all time: "That's It That's All"

Funny Haha

2009-09-03T10:55:00.003-05:00

How can you believe you were abducted by aliens and still consider yourself part of the conservative party?

Awesome Band!

2009-07-28T16:11:00.005-05:00

The Dead Weather show at First Ave monday night was incredible! Even better than I was hoping it would be. If you have not listened to this band check them out now!

Awesome!

2009-07-20T16:07:00.002-05:00

An amazing set of suitcases. Thanks Mariah!

48Hr Film: Transponder Responder

2009-07-17T20:12:00.002-05:00

Here it is! The debut of our 48 Hour Film Project submission titled Transponder Responder. It is important to keep in mind while watching this that everything was done in 48 hours including deciding what our story was going to be. Big thanks again to everyone that helped on this. We had an amazing cast and crew. Enjoy!

Once again the included criteria were:
Genre - SciFi
Character - Alex or Alexis Filbert (a champion)
Prop - Junk Mail
Line - How was I supposed to know?

R.I.P. Billy Mays :(

2009-07-16T15:09:00.000-05:00

I'm Sold

2009-07-15T07:03:00.001-05:00

48 Hour Film Project

2009-07-15T06:16:00.004-05:00

Just finding some time now to update on the 48 Hour Film Project. The creation portion is over. We got our film in on time and ahead of schedule even! Now all we have left is the screening on Thursday. Huge thanks again to everyone that participated in this and volunteered their time. We had a great crew and an incredible cast. Everyone brought their best and stepped up bigger than expected. We are not going to show the video anywhere online until the screening is over. Below are some more pics from the shoot. Stay tuned!

Its A Wrap!

2009-07-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

...but nowhere near done. Were running on two hours of sleep in the last 36 and still going strong. Well strong might be a little ambitious. Were still alive and enjoying each other's company. The shooting is done, but we still have a ton of post production to complete. Overall the filming went great. Talent, help, props, location, and camera shots were all better than expected. By far my favorite part was watching the talent take our idea, put some passion and emotion into it, and truly make the characters their own. We're far from having even clips of video put together. In the meantime here are some pics from the shoot!

48hr FP Criteria

2009-07-11T22:59:00.001-05:00

Genre: Sci-Fi
Character: Alexis Filbert
Prop: Junk Mail
Line: "How was I supposed to know?"

Game on!

Yes Yes Yes!

2009-07-10T16:54:00.003-05:00

The title of this picture is "The Easiest Way to Get Laid." Thanks David

Source

48 Hour Film Project!

2009-07-10T16:06:00.005-05:00

I am presently in Los Angeles awaiting the start of the 48 Hour Film Project. This is going to be a whirlwind weekend once it is all said and done. And to add to the fun I will be taking the red eye back to mpls and immediately driving up to Brainerd for another week of photo shootin! For those of you unfamiliar with the 48hr FP here is the basic gist:

*Once it kicks off each team is given a genre, character, prop, and line all of which have to be used in the film. After that anything goes.
*You only have 48 hours to write, film, edit, and score a completely original film
*All people involved must be volunteers
*Films must be 7 minutes or less (with 60 extra seconds allowed for credits)

T minus 3 hours until we get our assignment. I will be uploading crappy photos via my phone to facebook throughout. I will upload better ones once were all wrapped up.

4th of July Photos

2009-07-07T16:31:00.002-05:00

Some amazing photos taken by my friend Andi Dickson on the 4th of July

Product Review: Red Bull Energy Shot

2009-06-18T13:29:00.008-05:00

Red Bull launched its newest brand extension earlier this week and I decided to give it a try. The taste was far better than I was expecting after having tried a few other energy shots over time, sadly including NOS. Basically it tasted like Red Bull without carbonation, and not as sweet. The caffeine content is the same as a regular Red Bull as are most of the ingredients, which leads me to wonder what the point is. Maybe its for the on the go consumer that is so busy they don't have time to drink. The energy I got from the shot was pretty even and didn't leave me feeling jittery. But I did have it right before I went to a birthday dinner. I need to try it one more time when Im sitting around doing work at my computer. As of now I say save a dollar and buy the $1.99 8oz can and enjoy the bubbles.

Awesome!

2009-06-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

Videos From Chris

2009-06-16T17:17:00.001-05:00

This one first:

Then this one:

Not Good

2009-06-10T19:07:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite products and companies of all time is facing a little PR snag. Apparently trace amounts of cocaine were first found in Red Bull Cola by a laboratory in Germany. Now the Center for Food Safety in Hong Kong is claiming that it found similar traces in Red Bull Energy Drink and Red Bull Sugar Free. In both studies they point that it is a negligble amount and posed "little health danger." Click here for more info

Dylan Heaney: A Life In Pictures

2009-05-30T13:13:00.008-05:00

So far in this series I have shown the lighter, playful side of Dylan. But kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness. When the moon is full and the Earth's orbit is in sync with Jupiter's 3rd moon, a different side of Dylan comes out. Though not usually dangerous, it is not to be taken lightly. He is a cunning and adept hunter, and will often stalk his prey for minutes.

In this rare photo taken some years back, we get a glimpse of Dylan in this transformation. The circumstances are unknown, and his reasons for choosing his prey are also vague. Eye witness accounts say that he shot out of the water 1-2 feet and mostly pawed at his victim. But you can imagine the bloodshed had he landed on his mark. Thankfully nobody was hurt that day and Dylan returned to his mild mannered self.

Thanks Maddie (again)

2009-05-03T08:56:00.003-05:00

I have referenced my friend Maddies blog Its Free to F before and i felt compeled to do it again because this picture is awesome. Thanks Maddie

Tour de Iraq 5

2009-05-03T08:29:00.002-05:00

This post is a couple days behind, but lately that seems to be the theme. Im on trip 5 to Iraq and this time around it's with King Billy. They are a great group of guys and might make me like country music by the time this trip is done. Either way I am already a fan of them.

This will be my last trip for a while and possibly my last altogether. I am trying to soak as much of it in as I can and not pay much attention to the 100 degree weather. The two weeks I have to spend lugging music equipment is nothing compared to what the troops go through in full uniform and gear when the temps easily reach 130-140 from July through September! I still dont understand how human beings can actually survive and function in that heat. Arent you only supposed to be naked in a sauna for about 20 minutes max?

The troops have been loving King Billy so far. They have been letting guys come up on stage and jam along, sing their own songs, dance, whatever. Its really been fun to see. More pics and stories to come as the trip unfolds.

Swine Flu!

2009-05-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks Justin

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

2009-05-01T16:17:00.006-05:00

This one is technically for April. F$@&ing Iraq internet...

Few things are more amazing than a summer in Minnesota. With only 2.5 good months out of the year everyone makes the most of it. The Heaney family prefers to spend its leisure time on the water whenever possible. The below picture really gets me in the mood for summer. I believe this was taken circa 2000 on a nice spring afternoon. Dylan's tasteful matching of business shirt on the top with party pants on the bottom is becoming of his typical style. He rarely encounters a situation where he is not properly dressed. Here's to summer and some wake surfing soon brosef. Stay up.

Daniel Tosh

2009-04-27T10:00:00.004-05:00

I got some last minute tickets this weekend to see comedian Daniel Tosh. Brilliant stand up comic that pushes the bar with everything he does. His show was everything I expected and more. If you are sensitive to jokes about the homeless, plastic surgery, tourettes, or real life then you probably won't like him. Enjoy!

Awesome!

2009-04-22T14:47:00.003-05:00

The Procedure, with Willem Dafoe & WIll Ferrell from Adam "Ghost Panther" McKay

Tour De Iraq 4

2009-04-19T16:50:00.007-05:00

About to wrap up another amazing trip to Iraq. I did a lot of repeats on this trip, both in bases I visited and activities like touring the Ziggurat and shooting automatic weapons. But the group I was with made sure it did not feel mundane. Truth and Salvage Company is a truly amazing group of musicians and Franky Perez is just as incredible. They were all great to travel with and I dont think I have laughed so hard for 10 days straight in my whole life.

Highlights for this trip were being allowed into an old king's tomb next to the Ziggurat and watching Franky get a tattoo from a soldier on a base. Typically I prefer not to disturb tombs or other potentially cursed areas, but our tour guide was apparently a descendant of Abraham himself so I figured it was ok.

Im looking forward to coming home and breathing normal air for a little while. The sandstorms on this trip have been ridiculous. We got stuck overnight on a couple bases that we werent planning on due to the weather. April is not the time to tour Iraq.

Below is a video of what I got to listen to throughout the trip. After being stranded on a base from weather the guys decided to make the most of it and borrowed some acoustic guitars for an impromptu performance.

Meth is a Hell of a Drug

2009-04-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

As Im sitting at the airport writing and casually listening to CNN I keep getting distracted by Richard Quest’s insanely annoying voice. Although I will admit since his stint in rehab for meth he has toned down quite a bit making him more tolerable. Whenever I see him now it reminds me of this! Pretty impressive rap sheet, but sometimes people cant control a social meth habit.

The guy must be a pretty stand up person if he still has a job. Odd that I don’t remember hearing about this story on CNN. Enjoy!

Tour De Iraq 4

2009-04-11T13:12:00.001-05:00

Headed out again for tour number four to Iraq. This time around its with Franky Perez and Truth & Salvage Co. Both amazing artists/bands and Im really looking forward to this trip. Franky has been playing for the last year or so with another band I love, Scars on Broadway (System of a Down side project). Truth & Salvage Co have been playing together for about 2 years and are all incredible musicians and singers. Their two styles blend really well together and I cant wait to see them rock!

This time around I will also be running sound for the band as well as the usual tour manager role. Should be an interesting experience as I have never run a soundboard in my life! To be honest though Im really just playing with volumes. I wouldn’t put sound engineer on my resume yet.
More pictures to come as the trip goes on.

Chimpanzee Riding A Segway

2009-04-08T16:07:00.002-05:00

The song is really the best part of this video. Thanks Chris!

Awesome!

2009-04-03T12:21:00.003-05:00

I dont usually check any of the featured videos on YouTube but this one caught my eye for some reason. Its a collaboration of multiple artists from around the world jamming to a metal song via YouTube. Awesome! is really the only word to describe this.

I Miss You

2009-03-23T23:45:00.002-05:00

The greatest Conan character of all time, and a defining figure of my adolescence. Miss you Pimpbot 5000

Pimpbot 5000:
Silver robot character with an oversized wiener-shaped head seen on the NBC late night talk show CONAN O'BRIEN in the 1990s. Pimpbot 5000 combined the classic sensibilities of a 1950s robot with the dynamic flair of a 1970s street pimp. Pimpbot was proud to say that he kept his "Ho's motivated" and that his "ass" was "silver-plated." Pimpbot shouted such classy lines as "Feeling fine as cherry wine!", "Hey, what it be!", "Get out of my face you jive ass turkey!", and "Got my Ho's in control and a big ass bank roll." He referred to host Conan O'Brien as White Bread and occasionally threatened people with a switch blade when he got irritated. Guest Isabella Rossellini once asked Pimpbot "Tell me, did you come to turn me out? I'm flattered but I simply can't be your Ho!" When the Pathfinder landed on Mars in 1997, Pimpbot told America that the robot was actually a pimp named Redbone (aka "King of the Southside") who grew up with Pimpbot on the streets of Shy Town. "The dude was small" said Pimpbot "but the man could use a blade." In fact Pathfinder's mission was to "expand his pimping turf." Afterall, "If there's life on Mars, it's got to be horny!"

Video Source

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

2009-03-22T12:11:00.003-05:00

In keeping with the season and my impending trip to visit Dylan I have chosen a picture that continues to recognize Dylan's love of snowboarding while also calling out his passion for being shirtless in pictures. See you soon brosef.

Hope!

2009-03-19T15:00:00.004-05:00

Awesome post about the recession and the future. I am quickly bored by reading or listening to people that only want to complain and point fingers at whose fault it is for why we are having problems. The only truth is that we do have a problem, and we need to find a way to break through that.

For a while now I have felt as if this recession is the best thing to happen to America in a long time. America always perseveres due to its inherent nature to compete. So long as that competition is ensured to be fair, America will remain at the forefront of innovation for a very long time. We have neglected the need to innovate for quite a while now and we are paying for it with the current economic climate.

Here is an example of someone who has focused their time on coming up with ideas for how to break through our economic problems and be successful in the post recession era.

Good use of time!

F*$k you AIG

2009-03-19T11:33:00.006-05:00

For the record, what AIG is doing/has done is pure evil. They have gambled with innocent people's money, lost their ass, begged for more, and then paid themselves for doing such a great job at f*$king everything up. Whether in this life or the next Karma will get even with them...

On that note I have a suggestion for how to deal with this whole AIG bonus problem...Let them have it.

The real problem here lies not in the evil and corrupt hearts of men that work at AIG and actually approved these bonuses going out. The problem is in the system. Remember the old saying "Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game," first used by Ice-T in the 1999 classic "Don't Hate the Playa?"

Urban Dictionary defines this philosophy:
Do not fault the successful participant in a flawed system; try instead to discern and rebuke that aspect of its organization which allows or encourages the behavior that has provoked your displeasure.

Truer words could not have been spoken. Who's really at fault here? The AIG execs for taking the money and paying themselves, or the government for giving them the money with little to no regulation or oversight as to how its spent?

If we go after AIG and tax or seize their bonus money we are really only doing one thing. Setting a dangerous precedent for government intrusion into the private sector. What we need to do and should have done is allow for some oversight. If this was done in the first place its likely we wouldn’t be in this mess at all.

I am ALL for free markets and capitalism. I do believe that economically speaking it is the best model a country can have. But like most things in life there is a balance. We cannot honestly expect free markets to regulate themselves. Regulation does not necessarily have to come in the form of government intervention, but there should be oversight provided by the federal government (or the state) to ensure not only the safety of its citizens but some level of uniformity with regards to health and production standards.

I want as many egg farms as possible to be able to compete for my business to provide me breakfast material, but I dont trust any of them to make sure their product is safe and of good quality on their own. Case in point: Remember when the CEO of Peanut Corporation of America knowingly sent out peanuts that had been identified as tainted with salmonella? Granted they were retested once before he gave the go ahead, but seriously? All that responsibility on your shoulders and you're willing to take that risk? After retesting them only once? You've got billions of dollars, get rid of the batch and start over.

Ok back to the AIG situation. I think what makes people truly upset over this is the blatant greed and disregard for the general public that AIG's actions represent. It seems as though the logical thing to do is to take away their bonuses. And while we are at it they should have to sit in a stock for a few days and have rotten vegetables thrown at them too. But that doesn't really solve the problem. We (as a government) should never again issue bailout money without strict guidelines at least requiring the company receiving the money to be completely transparent with how they spend it. This does not interfere with free markets in any way. These companies are taking The People's money, and just like any venture capitalist or bank with a majority ownership in a company, we (the people represented via elected officials) should be able to have total knowledge and some say in how the money is spent.

We all messed up here. Not just politicians, but insiders, regulators, the media, investment bankers, Warren Buffet, and average people too. Sure its easiest to blame the people who do this for a living every day but the reality is we allowed a system that allowed corrupt humans to do bad things. If we want to change that we need to change the system so that this cannot be done again. Furthermore, we as a society should make it very unappealing to behave the way these guys have. If any of the friends I hang out with pulled some shit like this they would find themselves without friends. I know that’s a pretty childish way to look at it, but there is some value to the idea. Everyone should know the faces and names of the AIG execs that received bonuses and they should be mocked and ridiculed at every opportunity.

So let them have the money and focus our energy on ensuring this never happens again. Guaranteeing that tax payer money never goes out again without regulations and guidelines is the only true way to fix this problem.

When Chuck Norris Does Division, There Are No Remainders

2009-03-18T11:36:00.006-05:00

I suppose it was only a matter of time before it happened. Chuck Norris finally met his match; himself. After too many years of listening to how awesome he was, Chuck finally had enough and decided to put a stop! to it.

Seriously though, Chuck this is lame. You were/are a B movie star and these quotes have made you infinitely more famous. If you find something offensive about one of the quotes, why don't you just ask the person to take it down? Suing over trademark infringement is ridiculous. You wouldn't have much of a trademark to defend if it weren't for the quotes. Stay classy Chuck.

I Don't Understand Why We Are In A Recession?

2009-03-18T11:01:00.005-05:00

It's a common thought. To be honest its complex and not at the same time. Like all good teachers, a group of people found a way to boil down something complicated and make it more easily understood. The below video takes the current economic problem and explains it in a pretty simple and enjoyable format. This is a real and serious issue and I think this video does a great job of summing up what is going on.

Video!

Shark Attack!

2009-03-18T10:53:00.004-05:00

My friend Chris sent this over to me. Amazing story about a guy fighting a shark with his bare hands for 2 hours! The man did not want to fight the shark but had no choice but to defend himself. The pictures are incredible, but I kept thinking why wasn't the camera guy helping?

Article!

Thanks Chris!

More Cowboy Mouth Pictures

2009-03-18T10:09:00.004-05:00

Here are a few more I really liked from the trip. Click on any of them to enlarge:

The best place to get bootleg dvd's. Actually its not. I admit that I bought a couple on this trip and I dont plan on doing it again. Quality = camera on a tripod in a movie theater.

Flintstone Village: Built by Saddam for his grandchildren, after he killed their dad. It wasnt his own son, just the guy that married his daughter...who really should have seen it coming from day one. Over time someone from just about every country that has been involved in the war has stopped by here and left their mark.

This guy has never been a member of the Minneapolis police force, nor has he been to Minnesota.

Reuben, sound man extraordinaire.

Iraq con Cowboy Mouth

2009-03-18T08:50:00.003-05:00

My 3rd Tour de Iraq was another great experience. Each time I expect to get bored or feel like everything is repetitive, but so far that hasn't happened. Cowboy Mouth was a lot of fun to tour with and they put on an amazing show. I guarantee that if you like music you will enjoy their concert. I will personally reimburse your ticket if you don't.

On the way there we had a layover in Amsterdam of long enough to get bored but not long enough to go into the city and find trouble. So being Americans a few of us decided to get a tax free bottle of Jack Daniel's and indulge ourselves. The last leg of the trip went pretty smooth after that.

As much fun as that was, the highlight for this trip would have to be staying on a base that was a former palace and zoo of Saddam's. Apparently as the war was going on, Saddam's guys released most of the animals in hopes that they would attack the Coalition soldiers. It didnt work as well as planned and there are still some animals roaming the compound.

We also got the opportunity to spend time with some Special Forces soldiers. They finally showed me how to shoot a gun properly and what night vision goggles look like. On top of that, one of the troops made pretty amazing custom knives out of scraps of metal he would find lying around. We had a little down time one night and hung out with him in his shop while he showed us some of his work.

Before
After

Next up Im going with Franky Perez in mid April, but not before doing some non work travel. Thanks to the band for a great time, and thanks to the troops for once again being so generous and gracious.

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

2009-03-03T14:17:00.002-06:00

As far as Im concerned February is a joke month. It doesn’t even have the normal 30 days let alone 31, so how am I supposed to take it serious. Furthermore, it houses Valentines day, one of the silliest holidays of all time. Although this post was technically supposed to come in February, as far as I’m concerned I’m right on schedule. If February is going to make a joke of telling time then so am I.

On the subject of taking things seriously, Dylan has long pursued snowboarding with a devotion and intensity that most reserve for their careers. After graduating college, Dylan chose the noble profession of retail management at a small rental shop in Vail, Colorado in order to spend more time with his snowboard. This picture coincidentally happens to be one of my favorite of Dylan. As all can see Dylan takes snowboarding very seriously. As a side note, Dylan did in fact catch that beer and he drank it too.

Tour De Iraq 2

2009-03-01T19:00:00.007-06:00

Editors note: This post was written about 1.5 weeks ago. The internet in the middle east still blows...

Im finally getting around to posting some pics from my second trip to Iraq. This time around it was a lot harder to find internet and when I did it was on public computers with limited time allowance. This doesn't really excuse my posting delay though since I have ample access at home.

The trip proved to be another amazing experience, and my respect for our military grows each time. I didn't have a negative perception before going, I just enjoy seeing so many good people representing our country. We mostly stayed on air force bases this time. The bases are all pretty similar but each branch does things a little different. That being said the Air Force bases were probably the nicest I have stayed at so far (except for Saddam's palace of course).

The highlight of this trip was definitely the guns. We got an opportunity to shoot most of the standard issue weapons as well as the .50 cal. I probably liked shooting the M4 the most due to the scope. I'm still not a huge fan of guns but I like knowing how to use them.

Quietdrive was great to travel with and they put on some great shows. Once again the troops were incredibly gracious and appreciative. Thanks to everyone!

More Pics!

Iraq at it again

2009-02-15T13:27:00.004-06:00

I just landed in Kuwait for round 2 of my tour de Iraq. This time around it is with Quietdrive. All our gear showed up and there were no weather delays, so its been a good trip thus far...all 24 hours of it. We will spend a couple days in Kuwait before heading into Iraq. The military base we would normally stay at had no room for us, so we are staying in downtown Kuwait. We don't really get time to venture out but it has been cool to see what a metropolis area in the Middle East looks like.

We had a layover in Amsterdam but not long enough to go into the city and look around. We did however get the pleasure of experiencing the exchange rate of dollars to euros. My piece of pizza cost about $9 and one of the guys got a McDonald's meal for about $20. Needless to say they don't call them value meals. Below is a picture of a McKrocket. I have a small fascination with anything that should be the same while traveling but is not (i.e. McDonald's burger names). This particular sandwich is much more than a different name though. It is McD's version of a juicy lucy. For those of you not from the midwest that is basically a burger with cheese or some other delicious sauce in the center. Why hasn't McDonald's made one of these in America???? I dont really care because I dont eat McDonalds's, but it seems like a good idea. More pictures to come.

Stop Motion Hotness!

2009-02-11T19:55:00.004-06:00

My friend Doug and I made this stop motion video for a commercial pitch. I think it turned out pretty sweet considering this was our first time, and we shot it in an afternoon. To give credit where credit is due, Doug was the mastermind behind the concept and worked the camera too! For more examples of what we do at work click here.

Breakin' and Poppin' Circa 1985

2009-02-11T18:56:00.003-06:00

There really isnt much to say about this that the video itself doesn't accomplish. Alfonso Ribeiro = Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. You cant find a single copy of this on Amazon which leads me to think its sold out.

More Awesomeness

2009-02-10T10:54:00.002-06:00

I realize that this happened a couple days ago but sometimes the real world gets in the way of making posts. Grammy night brought together Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney for an incredible performance of "Saw Her Standing There." This wasn't the first time the two played together, but it was the first time to a huge televised audience. Both of these guys are favorites of mine, and Im always happy to see Grohl back on drums. I can only hope this is the first of many...

Article

Awesome

2009-02-09T16:12:00.003-06:00

Amazing website that allows you to create cool visuals from URL's and groups of words. The site makes the words most commonly used stand out more prominent from the rest. Below is mine. Upon review i realized that this blog doesn't represent myself nearly as well as I thought because there was no profanity.

D-Bag

2009-02-09T10:17:00.002-06:00

Unless somehow this is all a mistake Chris Brown's career is over. Gotta love the photos that TMZ finds for these stories. On the plus side, if this is true, inmates have a special place in their heart for guys like this, and he will likely get a taste of his own medicine.

Story

Thank You Facebook

2009-02-02T19:08:00.003-06:00

Dear Facebook,

I owe you an apology. I talked a lot of shit about you when you first came around. I thought you were too invasive and too impersonal, while knowing too much personal info about me at the same time. I especially thought you were weird when you started the news feed. Why would anyone want to see what you say to someone else, or care that you added some new interests?

My brother kept telling me that you were great. That you helped organize and share pictures, join stupid causes, and announce to the world that you were in a complicated relationship with yourself. But I wouldn’t even listen to him.

Despite all of this, on a whim I decided to give you a chance. I let you know some personal information and hoped for the best. Slowly but surely you changed my opinion, and I appreciated the ease with which you could reconnect me with old friends, and help me communicate a little quicker with current ones. I was especially impressed when you came out with phone applications that let you do all this on the fly. But I still wasn’t convinced. I still couldn’t figure out why I really needed you if I had a cell phone and email, both of which were impersonal enough. And it still seemed a little odd that someone would want to see the conversation I was having with another person.

Then I left my phone while traveling in a foreign country and had to go without it for 2 weeks. I enjoyed being away from it for a couple weeks, but in today’s world that is my lifeline. If you don’t have a phone that means you have to do things like make plans in advance, guess where your friends might be at, and worst of all, remember phone numbers.

That is where you came in. You not only helped me announce to as many people as possible that I was without a phone, you helped me continue to communicate with people in a pretty pain free manner. You also did a stand up job replacing text messages for a while.

Thank you Facebook for all your help. I appreciate that no mater where I go or what contact info changes you will always be there to keep me connected. I know that you are harvesting as much data as you can about my interests and habits, but I am okay with that now. You have my support indefinitely unless you do something evil with that info.

Warm Regards,
Adam

PETA = People Enjoy Tits and Ass?

2009-02-01T00:53:00.006-06:00

Peta recently had an add rejected/banned from airing during the Super Bowl because apparently the ad was too sexist towards women. After reading this post the first question that came to mind was why? The author goes on to point that NBC said they would air it if PETA made some editorial changes and paid for the spot. So was the ad mostly rejected because they weren’t paying for it?

PETA definitely skirts the issue of sexism with this ad, but I guess that depends on how much T & A you like to see while watching football. This ad will undoubtedly raise attention, but will it increase support? PETA has always used some level of shock value to get their point across. If you have ever picked up one of their pamphlets on chicken coops you know what I am talking about. Half naked girls using vegetables as sexual innuendo will drive traffic to their website, but its pretty low brow and doesn’t really speak to who they are and what they do very well.

Regardless, the ad is not airing so we will never know if it would have increased membership. Hopefully their plan all along was to never pay for the ad and instead get a bunch of press that causes it to go viral. That would be pretty badass.

Currently Listening: Rise Against

2009-01-28T10:26:00.005-06:00

While in Iraq a soldier gave me Rise Against's newest album Appeal to Reason after we compared some bands we liked. He literally pulled the real album out of his bag and handed it to me because he was certain I would love this band. Turns out he was right.

One of the better rock acts I have heard in a long time. To sum it up simply, these guys are kick ass. Awesome vocals, harmonies, guitar riffs, and overall song structure. If you are a fan of bands like Green Day, Bad Religion, Offspring etc then check them out. And if you don't like those bands then get some taste.

Recommended tracks from Appeal To Reason: Savior & Whereabouts Unknown

Favorite Song

Myspace

Erroneous!

2009-01-27T23:32:00.004-06:00

Rod,

You are crazy. Maybe not in real life, but by all appearances you are f*%$ing nuts. If you really weren't guilty then you should probably just say that. I lost count of the number of times Larry King gave you the chance last night to say that quotes like “I’ve got this thing and it’s f—-ing golden,” and “I’m not giving it up for f—-ing nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there,” were taken out of context and there was nothing criminal with your actions. But you couldn't even do that. That's what guilty people do Rod.

You claimed to Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" that all these comments were taken out of context and that "When the whole story comes out, you’ll see that the effort was to work to have a senator who can best represent Illinois and one that can help us create jobs and provide health care." Cool, but you should still be able to say that at no point were you even entertaining the idea of selling the seat.

Bottom line is you walk and talk like a guy who tried to sell his senate seat, got busted on shaky evidence, and thinks that if he can shout the loudest maybe people wont hear the truth. I wish for the sake of America you would admit defeat and maybe start doing something actually meaningful with your life rather than try to tell everyone what a good guy you are. But to be honest I am enjyoing the Michael Scott esque rants that you keep having.

Good luck proving your innocence. Way to get after it Larry! You still got some fight left in you champ!

more

Win Some Lose Some

2009-01-27T00:02:00.006-06:00

Thanks to Brent for calling me on this.

So my 2008 company of the year is not off to a great start in '09. Maybe I will have to consider Patin Inc. All in all the things I praised them for in 2008 probably kept them from going bankrupt. Though they are laying off a sizable amount of people, a couple things to keep in mind is that the 20,000 cuts are worldwide, and almost half (8000) of those are temp workers. By definition of their job they should have been expecting to be laid off, let go, etc at some point.

The interesting thing is that this company has legitimately been affected by the economy. If there hadn't been such a huge upheaval worldwide, and more so a credit meltdown, they may have had an easier transition into 2009. One of the biggest problems facing them is the lack of 1st quarter sales to dealers worldwide stocking up for the summer influx of machine orders. Due to dealers and buyers not being able to get credit, sales are severely down.

All things considered they are still doing pretty well, and we will see what '09 brings. At least they havent asked for a bailout yet. Good Luck CAT

You Make Me Touch Your Hands For Stupid Reasons

2009-01-21T14:56:00.003-06:00

We all have a friend/s who sucks at writing. Or at least spelling. But in most cases its both. One would think that with people writing more than they ever have via email and text this would actually improve, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I found this a while back, and figured it was about time that I post it here. This is what happens when poor grammar meets with poor handling of emotions. Sadly, at the expense of those involved, that recipe usually results in entertainment. Enjoy!

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

2009-01-21T14:17:00.004-06:00

My brother recently sent me a couple classics (1 and 2) which reminded me to make a post for my ongoing series showcasing his life through the medium of photography.

Though Dylan is most notably remembered for his audio appearance on the early 2002 Cub Food's commercial "Ben needs Flowers," the recording does not truly speak to the essence of Dylan as a man and the many accomplishments he has had in his short time on this planet. He plans on spending some time on another planet in this lifetime.

Sticking with this month's theme of audio, I have chosen this photograph from the later half of 2004 A.D. Dylan has always shared a deep love of the arts, but music has long been his greatest temptress. Don't stop a rockin brosef.

Home Stretch

2009-01-16T02:19:00.009-06:00

Round 1 of my Tour de Iraq is almost complete. This has been an amazing trip both in the group I have traveled with and the eye opening experiences I have had. Thanks to the guys in Catchpenny and all the troops. Saturday night = Downtown MPLS here I come!

Bombs over Baghdad

2009-01-13T14:49:00.005-06:00

We got the opportunity to tour the Victory over America palace built by Saddam in the late 90's. This was used by Saddam as a propaganda ploy to make people in Iraq think that he actually beat America in some war. It featured 150 rooms in two wings with approximately 30 bathrooms. My favorite part, he had the workers build the steps of the main staircase to be slightly off balance so that if someone was chasing him only he would know the correct path. Seriously. I didn't notice any extra challenge going up them. Maybe he should have focused more time on his romance novels.

Victory over America palace was near completion when it was bombed during the invasion in 2003, and has been essentially left as is since then. The amazing thing is that if and when people from our generation visit Iraq for recreation, this place will undoubtedly be cleaned up with a gift shop and a restaurant added in. I was in complete awe at the wreckage and the fact that we got to see it. Hopefully the pictures below help to give you an idea of what it was like. Click on any of them to zoom in.

Random Favorites

2009-01-13T14:35:00.004-06:00

Here a few random selections of pics I have taken over the last couple days. These are all just raw photos. No special editing with photoshop or any other programs. I will eventually put together some sort of online photo album. Alec (drummer) has been my muse for the trip. My favorite picture Ive taken by far is the one of him spitting (1st one below). Enjoy!

Live from Iraq

2009-01-13T14:27:00.003-06:00

After an extra night in the Sunni Triangle, or "Death Triangle" as its more commonly referred to, we finally caught a flight out. Rain held us back which was a little surprising for the desert. The guys on base were great hosts and kept us entertained the whole time. We spent some time smoking hookah in an Iraqi restaurant with the troops (on base) and sang happy birthday at midnight to one of the interpreters.

Due to its location they are usually firing illume rounds at night. This helps to light up the area for both Iraqi and U.S. troops while they are out on patrol. These rounds are fired from a tank and are louder than you can imagine. We slept in 12 x 12 rooms called CHU's and the rockets would literally shake the entire thing. We had it pretty good though. The guys showing us around have their tent right next to the tank. The pictures below are just a few from our time there. Thanks again to the troops for the fun and blankets.

Hookah pics...tobacco only

Mark and Zach in the CHU we shared. Probably the most badass slumber party I've had since 8th grade. Not shown are the two cots we managed to fit in there as well.

Picturas

2009-01-13T13:41:00.002-06:00

I have had a blast so far on this trip and everyone/everything has been amazing. Even when we are not "working" there hasnt been a moment of boredom. I am going to be posting some pics but I have also been shooting as much of the band as I can. Turns out they liked them enough to put them on their website. Go to this link to view the pictures. I will be posting some more soon.

The Show Must Go On

2009-01-09T00:36:00.001-06:00

Using borrowed and rented equipment Catchpenny played their first show for the troops. Sadly I could not attend as I got to enjoy the unique experience of translating between three different types of broken English in order to secure all our luggage. The show went great and apparently after telling the crowd about our lack of clean clothes and showering, a girl from the crowd disappeared and came back with a 4 pack of boxers. As a thank you the guys put them on over their pants onstage. The below pictures are from the sound check. More to come…

Efficiency and Accountability

2009-01-09T00:35:00.000-06:00

Water pressure, drinking fountains, garbage cans, no smoking indoors, basic traffic laws. These are all things I take for granted in America and am quickly reminded are luxuries when I travel. More than these though I am finding that efficiency and accountability are also luxuries and some of America’s best qualities.

After 6 hours of standing around at the Kuwait airport I was finally able to secure all of our baggage. To be clear I am very thankful to have everything. We were told that at least 4 bags were missing so getting them all was a welcome surprise. The frustrating part begins with the help. Im pretty convinced that the only reason we weren’t in and out in about 2 hours is because they literally looked at the pile of equipment and thought I don’t want to deal with that right now. It was 26 pieces ranging from hockey size duffels to a drum set so it does look a little daunting. We offered to go back and identify all the bags, load them up and carry them out, but that wasn’t an option.

The part where America begins to look sweet is there is no recourse for this nuisance here. There really was no manager to help speed things up, and if there was I doubt they would have cared. Why would they? Customer service is a privilege not a right and it really comes as a direct result of capitalism. Somewhere along the way people realized that if you offer the same service/product as another guy, the only real difference between you is how you treat the customer. Fortunately over time this has become the norm in America and we expect, and often receive, great customer service even when the business is the only one providing their service/product.

Thanks Maddie

2009-01-07T07:43:00.002-06:00

As a kid I used to spend a lot of time making crank phone calls. Mostly harmless but fun as hell. Sometimes I wonder why I ever stopped. A friend of mine runs the blog Its Free to F which led me to this post. Watch the video and have fun laughing your ass off. As a warning there is quite a bit of swearing so if you’re at work keep it low.

If you enjoy this take a look at the creators website www.phonelosers.org. Click on pranks to see a collection of their work or poke around the site and get some random tips on everything from recording phone calls to finding out if your phone is taped.

I read the news today, oh boy...

2009-01-06T14:31:00.007-06:00

...And though the news was rather sad, Well I just had to laugh.

The bailouts have gotten out of hand but at least the majority of them have a legitimate tie to the national economy and can at least scare us into thinking that if we don’t give them money they will implode, creating a vortex that will suck all of America into a black hole of chaos and poverty. The latest to ask is apparently small town/local newspapers. I have written once already about what a terrible waste of money it is to bail out the newspaper industry but I feel compelled to write again because on the surface many people probably feel sorry for the little guy in this story.

I’m not trying to say that I think small town papers should disappear. I value the small town paper and the independent voice in writing very much. But, as a medium papers are dead. Sure some will survive and still serve a purpose, but the majority needs to accept defeat or innovate. Anyone else seeing a recurring theme here?

For most of these newspapers big and small that means a shift to publishing online. However the chances of people going online to regularly read a small town paper are pretty slim. So they, more than the big guys, will need to get a little more creative. Here are a few suggestions:

First things first, if you haven’t, start a website and publish all of your stories online. Next, in your dying days begin to report on how this medium is waning and rather than let it sound negative, (death usually doesn't sound good) spin it positively. Be one of the first to report the reality that most things that can be digital are moving that way and you are actually staying ahead of the curve. Then encourage people to support you by signing up for an email blast of the front page story that ultimately prompts them to go to your website. Finally take it one step further and make use of tools like twitter and facebook to promote stories in your hometown. You are already writing about the local football captain's star performance on Friday night, now let him show that to his network on various social networking sites.

These are just a couple ideas and honestly Im not sure that they twitter idea would even catch on. The point is that these tools cost you nothing to use and if one more person per day visits your website it’s worth it. At the end of the day your only chance for survival, if you can’t break even anymore revenue wise, is to go online.

The amazing part is that not only can you generate ad revenue from the website but you can actually generate ad content through the email blast. Allow local businesses to pay a premium to be the featured add on the email blast that goes out that week. You might actually become more profitable from this, but Im willing to bet you at least make the same as you were before the “economy” wrecked everything.

article

Alive and Well

2009-01-05T05:32:00.005-06:00

We arrived in Kuwait after a couple delays (snow in Minne, and torrential rains in Atlanta), to find that not a single thing we checked made it. No bags, no music equipment. We are awaiting word on when and where our things might be. On the plus side we have the government on the case. I doubt we would get too far negotiating with the Kuwaiti airport.

So far the culture difference is apparent but not abundant. The first picture I took was of this caribou coffee shop at the airport. I would have been less surprised by Starbucks, but I got a little home town pride when I saw this. Kuwait is pretty westernized so most signs are in English first, Arabic second.

After midnight chow we were able to catch the Vikings game and watch them self destruct like usual. Everyone on base is great. It makes me proud how many great people are representing America abroad. We will soon embark for Iraq and I will try to upload pictures whenever possible.

Master Legend

2009-01-05T05:27:00.003-06:00

The only thing better than Super Heroes are real life ones. This article featured in rolling stone last month tells the story of Master Legend, an Orlando based hero, and his trusty league of alienated do-gooders. The people behind the masks are the kind of guys that most would laugh at if they engaged them in conversation or possibly just saw them browsing the magazine rack at the supermarket clearly picking up every video game mag possible (think comic book guy from the Simpsons). The tragic part is that at the core these guys just want to help and they are willing to give up their lives basically to do so. Most in the story have no job, no girlfriend/wife, and few friends(outside of super heroes). You can decide whether the Super Hero gig is really getting in the way of these things.

I found this to be equally entertaining as it is endearing. I laughed throughout the entire article, but this isn’t a joke. These guys aren’t out doing vigilante justice or determining in their own warped morality who is right and wrong. They are trying to catch every day evil doers like purse snatchers and drug dealers. Along the way they try to help the homeless and unfortunate as well. As long as they leave the guns to the police I fully support them. Master Legend, if you lose your second crack shack hit me up. We don’t have a Super Hero in Minneapolis yet.

What it means to be a brother...

2008-12-18T20:43:00.004-06:00

Ive got a brother. A pretty cool one too. We've done just about everything together. But this is something we just wont ever accmplish. Sorry brosef.

Debateably the most amazing inter-family sports moment in history

In the spirit of brotherhood, I have decided to pay homage to my own brother in a monthly feature titled Dylan Heaney: A Life In Pictures.

Being that it is the Christmas season I chose this taasteful classic. Merry Christmas Dylan and Everyone!

Whats Cooler Than Being Cool?

2008-12-18T02:24:00.003-06:00

...Doug Swenson

Jizz in my Pants

2008-12-18T00:39:00.006-06:00

Its awesome when the actual title of something is so good its its own headline. Too many people still have not seen this so Im posting it too. Thanks J Bone

On Adam

Yes!

12505 / 12507

Drunk History

The Mis-Informant

Finally!

Improv!

Jacob's Patience

World Basketball Festival: Signature Moves

Awesome Product!

Skitells

Brain Dump

Awesome!

Download This!

One of the Dumbest Ideas I Have Ever Heard

Art!

Awesome!

The Lady and the Reaper

Sustainability Rules!

HaHa! Your Government Is A Sham!

Awesome!

Farewell!

10 Legendary Bassists

Death Metal Rooster

My Hero

Yes Yes Yes!

Seriously?

The Swarm of the Locusts

Awesome!

Wait, What?

Home Town Hero

My Sentiments Exactly

Unbelievable

Ride or Die

Funny Haha

Awesome Band!

Awesome!

48Hr Film: Transponder Responder

R.I.P. Billy Mays :(

I'm Sold

48 Hour Film Project

Its A Wrap!

48hr FP Criteria

Yes Yes Yes!

48 Hour Film Project!

4th of July Photos

Product Review: Red Bull Energy Shot

Awesome!

Videos From Chris

Not Good

Dylan Heaney: A Life In Pictures

Thanks Maddie (again)

Tour de Iraq 5

Swine Flu!

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

Daniel Tosh

Awesome!

Tour De Iraq 4

Meth is a Hell of a Drug

Tour De Iraq 4

More Videos From Chris!

Chimpanzee Riding A Segway

Awesome!

I Miss You

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

Hope!

F*$k you AIG

When Chuck Norris Does Division, There Are No Remainders

I Don't Understand Why We Are In A Recession?

Shark Attack!

More Cowboy Mouth Pictures

Iraq con Cowboy Mouth

Dylan Heaney: A Life in Pictures

Tour De Iraq 2

Iraq at it again

Stop Motion Hotness!

Breakin' and Poppin' Circa 1985

More Awesomeness

Awesome

D-Bag