Official Statement from MySpace's Tom on Political Proposition Ads

As many are aware, certain proposition ads were blasted on advertising networks near election season. People were offended and uncomfortable. MySpace's Tom DeLonge wrote an email to his users that reads:

MySpace supports equality. I personally have always welcomed diversity as part of the very fabric of the MySpace community. Over the last few days, ads related to various political propositions that spoke in direct conflict to that ran on our site. These ads came through a third party ad network and we worked to immediately remove them. Like most websites, we do not always have a direct relationship with advertisers that use the ad network, so it was difficult to get them removed. As we fought to remove one advertiser, another would pop up immediately after. I'd like to apologize to anyone who was offended by these advertisement and you have my commitment that we will continue to work to prevent similar happenings in the future. MySpace is for everyone, and we do not want to offend our users by running ads that make them feel uncomfortable.

I lay in anticipation for my new netbook

A few weeks ago I bought a new computer on a whim. I rarely do that kind of stuff. I usually like to research before I buy. But I gave the red version of the Lenovo Ideapad S10 a chance because it was $429 and had an additional 15% discount (with a coupon applied). I wanted a new small notebook for cafe lounging and such. Well, and my 3+ year old notebook from college (HP Pavilion dv1000, if you must know) is gonna be mostly out the door when this puppy arrives. It's at the point where the battery doesn't work (so it has to be plugged in) and a few of the ports don't really work. Lol. I also plan on getting a mac when the new Macbooks come out. I'll finally pop my Apple cherry.

When I saw this hands on impression on laptopmag.com, I got more excited. Plus, it's apparently sold out! I'll probably add more ram once I get it, cause 512MB is pretty paltry. Although that's what my current notebook has.

Specs from what I can gather:
2.65 lbs
10.2 inch LED Screen
1.6 Ghz Intel Atom Processor
512 MB Ram
80 GB Hard Drive
Windows XP (suhweeeet.... no Vista B.S.)
Express Card slot
Bluetooth & Wifi
VGA, Ethernet, mic, and headphone and a 4-in-1 card reader
Integrated web cam and microphone.

New Work Laptop

Earlier this week, I made a quick decision to get a new work laptop. My trusty, stable and mostly reliable Thinkpad T43p had run its course.

First I had to decide... Mac or PC. For all practical purposes, it doesn't make sense to get a Mac because of several known incompatibility issues with software I use. Plus, I'm planning on getting a Mac in the near future and it would be nice to have a work/home mental differentiation in computing.

From there, I had to decide portability or desktop replacement laptop. I opted for portable... the Thinkpad x61. My initial hesitation with the x61 was:

• It has a pretty small screen at 12 inches
• It lacks a CD/DVD drive
• There isn't a trackpad, only the 'nub'

After using it for 2 days, I'm super happy. The screen is a nice size and I mainly use it with an external monitor connected to a docking station. The lack of a DVD/CD drive isn't too pad because I never really use it anyways. Although, on the plus side, the docking station does have a drive. Lastly, I'm totally used to the 'nub' as a mousing device already. It's actually quite refreshing!

SCORE!

Making It On Valleywag

Every day I usually check Valleywag.com, the Silicon Valley's answer to Perez Hilton. In fact, their tagline is 'Silicon Valley's Tech Gossip Rag.'

Yesterday, I saw a post on Fraiche Yogurt in Palo Alto being the new 'hangout' if you're looking for Venture Capital (VC) money. I looked at the entry and noticed the photos looked familiar. It's because they were my photos! Whoa! Super cool. =)

I was excited they credited me too. It was just a nice surprise to my day.

Check out the entry:
http://valleywag.com/371610/fraiche-yogurt-palo-altos-new-vc-hangout

Silicon Valley Weekly Yelp!

I'm thrilled Yelp decided to add a Silicon Valley edition of their Weekly newsletter, The Weekly Yelp.

I usually get good ideas from it about fun things do do around town. Previously, I was only reading the San Francisco version, but now I can do stuff around my neck of the woods with the Silicon Valley Edition.

Suuuuweeeeet!

Thinking 24/7: These topics are on my mind

My mind is a bit off today. I didn't get any sleep and tried to recover this afternoon, but with that said, I have a lot of thoughts running through my head:

• I'm happy to be back in California. It's home and always will be. But I still have the desire to live many other places.
• I'm excited to have a social life again. Not that I didn't have a social life in MIchigan, but it wasn't MY social life to some extent. Again, it's the being taken out of your comfort zone thing. Dating, movies, working out, dining out in SF... all things I'm looking forward to!
• The Staph Infection hitting the Castro is scary. Although the drug resistant bug has hit LA, Boston, and New York, it seems to be making the biggest impact in the gay community in San Francisco's Castro District. As reported in the SF Chronicle, one out of every 588 is infected with the drug resistant form of MRSA. This is super scary.
• Strangers have been super nice to me. I try to help out where I can. But I've been in a lot of random binds lately and complete strangers usually step up and help me out. I'm not sure if it's Karma, but I truly believe what comes around goes around. I had an unbelievable amount of luggage to carry around via mass transit, and many people helped me out today. It was cool.
  
• I like mass transit... a lot. Even thought it's not the most time efficient necessarily, I love living in an area where I can get around via Mass Transit. I got from SFO to my car in Mountain View for around $12 -- mixing BART, CalTrain and a Cab. How great is that?
• I'm sad I left Michigan a bit earlier than I wanted. This week is very big in Michigan. You have the Republican Presidential Primary and the Detroit Auto Show in one week. I found it pretty cool to see the Republicans duke it out in Michigan... via Advertising on Radio and TV. The Detroit Auto show is a huge deal. It's all that's covered on the news and it's all people are talking about. It's very cool. And the best part? I feel optimism in the American Car Industry.
• I've added the Volvo C30 to my Test Drive list. I saw an ad in a magazine for the Volvo C30. I thought, what a cool little car! It's pricey, but I love the modern Scandinavian interior. So far it's hit most of my future car requirements... hi tech advanced features, awesome audio, available sunroof, power but still decent gas mileage, smaller design for city living, ipod connectivity and something visually unique (stand out from the crowd).
• I'm excited for MacWorld! So when flying from Detroit to SFO, I sat next to Troy, who was heading to MacWorld. We bonded and he reminded me how excited I am for whatever Apple has up it's sleeves tomorrow. I'm most excited for the new ultra thin laptop. Wired has mock photos of what it thinks Apple will release.
• I'm excited to put my Digital SLR to good use. I got a Nikon D40, an entry level Digital SLR camera. That might require me to travel around the bay more.
• Sunnyvale gets an Art Institute of California! The newest Art Institute of California is in none other than my current home of Sunnyvale! I saw an ad on TV and I got a little excited. If I ever wanted to take classes on the side, I'm excited to have a legit institution nearby. :) It joins the other California Art Institutes in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire, San Francisco, and Sacramento.
• American Gladiators on NBC. Even thought it's one big testosterone fest --- an overload to some extent --- American Gladiators is entertaining and reminds me of my childhood. I'm not sure how I feel about Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali as hosts. I do like some of the over the top effects... like when the bullseye is hit during Assault. Explosions and Water Drops, oh my!

Possible Missed Connection on Craigslist

I always love reading "missed connections" on Craigslist. I've always wanted to be one. Lol. It's like getting to read someones mind.

Anywho, I was just passing through the Chicago version of the site because I was there this past weekend. The "missed connection" below sounds like it could be me, because, I was in fact standing on the left side of the stage by myself standing next to two guys for a little while at Roscoe's. Although, I think I'd be an egomaniac if I responded...

Saturday night. guy at roscoes dancefloor - m4m - 25

---

Reply to: pers-496597447@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-12-02, 5:08PM CST


You were standing at the roscoes dance floor on the left side of the stage on the ledge standing area. You were alone and looking very hot.

I was with my friend and we were standing next to you. I was hoping you'd come talk to me but you left suddenly.

Hope you read this.

• Location: Lakeview
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 496597447

Cool Google Maps Mashup: Walk Score

A few blogs today went crazy for Walk Score, a new Google Maps mashup that lets you know how 'walkable' your residence is. Its tagline is 'Find A Great Neighborhood.'

Not surprisingly, my LA home was the least walkable and my Washington DC pad was the most walkable. I miss DC for that reason alone.

What is the 'Walk Score' of your residence?

My Los Angeles, CA Home: 49
My Riverside, CA Apartment: 82
My Washington, D.C. Apartment: 100
My Sunnyvale, CA Apartment: 78

Of course their methodology isn't all that perfect. But it's still impressive. Learn what's nearby your place. Maybe you'll discover something fresh and new within walking distance. :)

Two Weekends of Fun

Since I forgot to post an entry about my adventures last weekend, I thought I'd give my journal a double decker of an entry.

Last Weekend (5.29.2007 to 6.1.2007):

• On Friday, I went with Nai to Downtown Palo Alto for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We failed to remember the release of the iPhone. Thus it took a good 30 minutes to go 1/2 a mile on University Avenue because of crazy Apple fans causing a commotion at the Palo Alto Apple store. Crazy amounts of press were there too. I fail to remember that I live in the Silicon Valley... the heart of world of Technology.
• On Saturday, I had a chill day. Yes!
• On Sunday, I had a fabulous day. It started out by carpooling to the Millbrae BART station. This was my first BART trip to SF. It was quite pleasant. The end goal was getting to Dolores Park for Steph K.'s Birthday Picnic. Good food, wonderful friends, and pleasant views make for a fun afternoon in the park. We walked around, boy-scouted, played with dogs, listened to the Energy 92.7 DJ play music in the park, hula-hooped and lounged around. You can view pics here.
• After Dolores Park, I went to the final showing of Norm's show, Boylesque. It's not totally as scandalous as you think it might be. It was totally fun and a nice diversion in the early evening. After that, I went with a group of his buddies for dinner at Thanh Tam 2, a Vietnamese place in the Mission. It was really tasty food. We stayed away from the Pho and got other dishes. After that, Norm, Ninad, Aisha, Tu and I went to do a little dancin' at Badlands in the Castro. A few pics can be found here.

This Weekend (6.6.2007 to 6.8.2007):

• Friday evening I ate dinner at Tomatina with Elizabeth, Lauren, Steph & Becca. Afterward, we saw Ratatouille. That was a super cute film. It made me want to go to Paris and learn how to be a chef. Haha. It actually reminded me of very early Disney cartoons. It was modern, but not in that annoyingly CGI way.
• Saturday afternoon I met up with Norm and had lunch in Downtown Palo Alto. He was choreographing a show in San Jose, so he passed by my neck of the woods when traveling back up to Pacifica/SF. We went to Pluto's, my good ol' standby. After finishing our food, we went to the bathroom... you know, the type where only one person can enter at a time. So the Men's restroom was occupied and out comes a woman. Norm shouts, 'You don't have a Penis!' That made me chuckle. We strolled around town a bit and got some frozen yogurt at Fraiche. It's nice spending time with him.
• Sunday was all recovery! Working out, grocery shopping, and laundry too. I talked to Kenny for a few minutes. He was flying off to Dallas this week for work. We'll meet up next week for dinner.

Safari 3 Beta For Windows

Wow. Apple has released a Beta version of its internet browser, Safari, for Windows.

Check it out here.

Not Cell-Phone-Less anymore: The LG VX8600

So, after the crappy experience trying to get a police report from the SFPD, I just decided to buy a new phone outright. Even though I had phone insurance, I just decided it was too much of a hassle. So I think I'll cancel the $5/mo. insurance.

So what did I get? Well, let me tell you what I was considering. Verizon doesn't have a tremendous amount of good phones. I was pretty sick of the Chocolate. I mean, it looks nice but isn't all that functional. The keyboard is cramped and the touch keys are a bit annoying. Plus I never used it for music, which is its selling point.

Narrowed it down to:

• The Motorola Krzr (White)
• The Samsung SCH-u740
• The LG VX8600 (AKA - The Flip Phone Version of the Chocolate)

I wanted something with Bluetooth and nice menus. It's a plus if it looks good. After playing with all 3, I decided upon the LG VX8600.

My Reasoning:

• The phone is pretty.
• The menus are slick (and fast!)
• It has Bluetooth.
• The screen is HUGE and bright.
• I can use all of my previous chocolate accessories.

Although after looking at the upcoming phones on Phone Scoop, I really would like to get the LG VX9400. That phone looks HOT. I don't know when it will be coming out, but that's totally something I'd be interested in. :)

So far I'm pretty happy. I'll write an update later.