I made a new place for myself on the web. Allow me to introduce BrendonConnelly.com. I intend the site to be a kind of jumping off point for all my stuff. Work stuff, web projects, etc. Just basically an extended resume of sorts. I won’t actively blog there, I’ll just update when needed.
Author: Brendon
Reading tools
Matt recently befriended me on GoodReads. I’d never used it and quickly set up an account. I just deleted that account. I’ve been using LibraryThing for a while now, and GoodReads just didn’t offer a compelling enough alternative.
LibraryThing and GoodReads are similar in a lot of ways. At their essence they both track what’s on your bookshelf. Both tools offer some level of community around the stuff you read, and both offer ways to organize the books online. That’s kind of the end of the similarities, though.
Here’s what LibraryThing does that I don’t want to give up:
- Tagging. I tag everything I can and I’m used to it. Why go back to a flat hierarchy?
- Integration with Amazon. I buy a lot of books on Amazon, and LibraryThing’s bookmarklet is indispensable as a replacement tool for the Amazon wishlist (hint: use a ‘wishlist’ tag to organize your wishlist and be done with the constraints of the Amazon wishlist)
- Open API. This means that other people can build cool tools on top of LibraryThing.
Those are the main ones. LibraryThing also lets you use a CueCat to scan the barcodes of your books right into their database. They have plugins and widgets to help you display and work with your data. The import tool is excellent (GoodReads was okay, but it took some manipulation in Excel before I got everything to import). And LibraryThing has a mobile version that works on your cell phone and totally rocks.
There’s really no reason for me to switch, sorry, Matt. But you might consider it. 🙂
Monthly hike page
Just started organizing the monthly hike pictures in a Flickr collection. Nice way to get an overview! Here it is. I missed a few winter months, so I may need to put the hammer down this summer and bust out more than one per month…
Old time sayings
Gram Hazel is staying with us for a couple of days after my mom’s wedding (yesterday). Gram is full of funny sayings. I’ve got to write them down so I can remember them!
- For cryin’ in a bucket!
- Heaven’s to Pete!
- Oh, fiddle faddle!
Truman was going around yesterday saying “heaven’s to pete” and I think Amy will assume ownership of “for cryin’ in a bucket!”
West of Jesus
Just finished reading a great book called West of Jesus by Steven Kotler. I’m not going to do the full-on book review because this one already covers it perfectly. I will say, however, that I loved this book. It’s a quick and enjoyable read. I busted through half of it the day it came in the mail, and spread the other half over several evenings of bed-reading.
I enjoyed the read because it delved deeply into surfing, spirituality and science. Kotler isn’t a Christian, at least he never presents himself as such in the book (which has autobiographical elements), and I never quite got why Jesus is in the title (probably passed by me during one of those sleepy bed-reading sessions). So if you’re drawn to the book because of the title, you might reconsider.
I was sucked into the book because Kotler hinges much of what he writes about, as well as his recovery from Lyme disease, on the spiritual aspects of surfing. These aspects are near and dear to me–when I’ve skipped church on Sunday in favor of surfing, I’m more likely than not to call it “alterna-church.” The cleansing and renewing elements of surfing are difficult to describe, though they aren’t always there. Sometimes surfing is just a chore, other times it’s closer to a nightmare. But frequently it’s a watery communion with the Creator, and I cherish those times. Kotler’s descriptions of the spirituality of surfing rang very true to me.
A fair portion of the book is dedicated to Kotler’s quest to track down the source of a myth he heard while surfing. The basic gist of the myth is that there’s a Conductor who controls the waves and the weather, using a magical human bone. The stories he tells about chasing down the source of the myth are fun reading, with some good descriptions of surf sessions thrown in.
Along the way, Kotler delves into some serious scientific inquiry about the reasons for “flow” states and why they might occur while surfing (or rock climbing, or coding, etc). He’s got a knack for making hard science a bit more accessible (at least to my soft brain).
Anyway, it’s a great book. I’ll be passing on my copy to my surfing buddy Pete, and pimping the book to my surfing friends (and even those who used to surf *cough* Brandon *cough*)
John From Cincinnati
I’ve been watching John From Cincinnati and I really dig it. The acting is weird–sometimes a bit flat, and sometimes just strange. The premise of the whole show is strange, though, so I’m never really sure if the weird acting is intentional. Also, I’ve only seen three episodes so maybe it’ll become clearer down the line.
The show is about three generations of a surfing family (Yost) in Imperial Beach, CA and a seemingly slow new guy who drops in on their lives. The new guy, John, clearly isn’t human. But it’s only clear to the viewer, not to the Yost family. I’m saying that John isn’t human only because he can make stuff materialize and he doesn’t poop or pee (the script kinda goes overboard to point this out). Lots of surf themes and spirituality themes run through the show, which is a great mix for me. I love it.
The back story on some of the cast is pretty interesting, too. The youngest Yost, Shaun, is played by Greyson Fletcher, who is Christian Fletcher’s son. Christian Fletcher was an early surfing aerialist, and in the show Shaun’s dad, Butchie, was credited with popularizing aerials in surfing. In addition to being a former surf star, Butchie is a burned out drug addict which makes the parallels between Greyson’s real life and show life even more interesting, since his dad Christian went through a period of time where he dropped out of the surf scene and became too involved with drugs. Finally, Greyson’s grandpa and grandma are Herbie and Dibi Fletcher who are well-known in the SoCal surfing community (even the global surfing community). Herbie and Dibi are consultants to the show.
More interestingness: my surfing buddy Pete has another surfing buddy, Steve, who writes for the show. In fact, I only heard about the show from Pete when Steve started working on it. Previously Steve served various stints with Surfer Magazine and Surfing Magazine as editor and publisher. Steve is also Tony Hawk’s older brother.
Kem Nunn, author of The Dogs of Winter, which is a decent surf-themed novel, is one of the creators of the show. There are tons of surf community connections all through the show. For example, the surfshop employee Kai is played by Keala Kennelly who is a well-known surfer/competitor. There are also cameo appearances throughout by pro surfers. Just that angle alone makes for fun watching.
The spirituality themes are scripted with a pretty heavy hand but perfectly matched with the surfing themes. I think it brings an element of intrigue and authenticity to the show. Most surfers I know find a certain depth of spiritual satisfaction in surfing. I’m sure there are other genres or subcultures that’d also be well matched for the spirituality themes, but this matchup works well for me and, I’d guess, most other surfers with spiritual interests.
I’m probably a terribly unsophisticated viewer, though, since lots of critics are panning the show altogether. I bet the critics don’t surf.
The Fog of War
I recently watched The Fog of War, which is a documentary about Robert McNamara. McNamara was the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War. He was appointed by Kennedy and fired by Johnson, with whom he clashed. McNamara, prior to being the Secretary of Defense, was the first president of the Ford Motor Company outside the Ford family. Fascinating guy.
The movie is essentially an extended interview with McNamara when he was 85 years old. It’s interspersed with archival footage, which is pretty interesting in its own right.
If you’ve ever been sort of confused about the politics surrounding the history of the Vietnam War, this movie won’t clear things up for you. You will, however, get a great dose of insight into one of the key players of that period. This is definitely on my “recommend” list.
Train in Vain
A while back I bought a GPS receiver which I’ve been using on my monthly hikes so that I can geolocate the photos I take. That’s pretty fun, and the GPS itself is cool technology. I’ve also been geocaching, which is basically like a worldwide scavenger hunt where you use your GPSr to find “caches” that other people hide. You sign a log book and often swap trade items. It’s great when I travel since it gets me out of my hotel. Plus it’s a nice outdoor family activity, and Truman digs it.
This week I placed my first cache. It’s an admittedly easy find, and it’s been logged a few times already. I think I spotted one of the cachers this morning on the way into the office!
I was initially going to place this cache under a railroad trestle in Newberg. In fact there are several trestles in town that I thought would be great spots for hiding a cache. As I read further into the rules of geocaching.com (which is the online database that stores the locations of caches), I learned that such placements are prohibited. Between trespassing and danger, there are lots of good reasons for that. I’d still like to get a danger cache placed. Maybe up in a tree or up a rock climb or something.
A Map for Saturday
Just watched a fantastic film called A Map for Saturday (website). Well worth watching if you’ve traveled a bit, are planning to, or just like watching movies about travel. It’s a documentary that one dude shot while he traveled the world for a year. Basically chronicles the backpacker ethos and life on the road. Really great movie, but not on Netflix yet. Buy your copy on the website above. Worth the cost!
One more chance
Relays for Life are happening all over the place this month. Ours is coming up this weekend. We’re hanging out with Amy’s former co-workers on Friday and Saturday. Tru will be camping with us and it oughta be super fun! If you’d like to contribute to our campaign, you can hit this page and drop of a couple bucks. 🙂