Op-Ed: Boston Strong Concert 4 Boston

I'd like to express my thoughts regarding the Boston Strong Concert held at the TD Garden last night as a Charity Event to raise money for the One Fund, the charity fund setup immediately after the Boston Marathon Bombing.

First and foremost, I don't want my opinions to overshadow the gratitude and generous spirit that went into the event. To the people who were able to sell out a concert in less than 5 minutes. To the entertainers that donated their time and equally donated their talents. To the venue staff and management of the TD Garden who allowed this concert to proceed without any facility costs so that all money could go directly to charity. To those people, we thank you. And finally, but definitely not last, all of the people that were affected by the tragic events of 4/15/2013. Our hearts are with you.

Long Pause

Sigh.

Begin Rant

I'm incredibly disappointed with how this concert was executed, and how potentially millions of dollars were ignored, that could've been added to the total amount of money raised for the One Fund. This was a charity concert. It should've been televised, it should've been maximized. There should've been a call in number that people could donate to.

Over 6 Million People locally in the Greater Boston area were in some form or fashion either directly or indirectly affected by these events. All of us, want opportunities to help. Many of us have, and I don't want to discount the tremendous fund raising efforts that have happened both in the public and private sectors. But the TD Garden at best seats just under 20,000 people. That's a mere fraction of the viewing audience that wanted to see this concert.

Last night, we tried to find the concert on TV, but couldn't. It was only available over a live web stream, that failed frequently. It was difficult to keep up with what was going on, and then Dane Cook decided to pull a stunt that I think was the sleaziest move ever. He had his portion of the show blacked out to the live stream because he didn't want people outside of the Garden to hear his new material. Is that really charity?

I get that one would operate like this if the event that you're participating in is for profit. You want as much money coming back to you as possible. However, to sign up for a charity event and then use it as a platform to jump start your new material... well that's just pathetic.

You might argue that if I'm complaining because I missed an opportunity to donate, that I can still donate, and that's true. You still can! Just go to https://secure.onefundboston.org/ ! But that's not just the issue. The event, if televised, would've drawn a national audience. I absolutely guarantee it. That audience, would've been enamored by the events and enticed to donate. 

Why do you think Telethon's and Jerry Lewis were so successful? They drew a national audience for awareness for a charity that people already knew about! But the event is such a spectacle that people are enticed to give more.

Then there's the issue of, more than just 20,000 wanted to participate and be Boston Strong together. Millions of us, wanted to participate in the spirit of the event by watching on TV's in our homes, bars, sports pubs, and other venues. But we couldn't. So instead, we felt left out, and devalued as a society that wasn't Strong enough to to get tickets within the 2 minute windows that they were available.

Anyways, I feel like this concert could've, should've, and would've done so much more than it did.

End Rant

Outhouse Memories

When I was 15 years old, my parents allowed me to invite a friend to come along for a hiking trip through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Not just a hiking trip though... an adventure! The plan was to hike up to Mt. LeConte via one of the 5 or 6 trails that went up the mountain, and stay at LeConte Lodge. We chose the Alum Bluff trail, a trail that I understand is is now closed. It was a 5 1/2 hour hike (the shortest of the trails, also the steepest) and I remember a portion of it where it was just slick rock at a 45 degree angle and all you had to hold onto was a fibrous cable.

Once we got to the top, the lodge was amazing. A quaint, primitive lodge, with no electricity, one pipe of running water, several cabins, one large dinning facility, and an outhouse.  The cabins were all the same (that I can remember).  Each one having a common area with a large fireplace and two bedrooms adjoining it.  Each bedroom contained two sets of bunk beds, two pales of water and a wash rag, and lanterns on either side.

So my friend Trent and myself decided to stay up and play card games with the kids of the family that were in the other bedroom.  Interestingly enough for two 15 year old boys, the kids were two 15 year old girls - twins. I don't recall their names, but we did play Canasta. During the night there were several fun experiences that occurred. Apparently, at night, the mouse population of Mt. LeConte comes out to play.  They were everywhere. On the rafters over head, crawling across the floor, and even over the bed posts. One point, I heard my mother scream because one of the mice crawled over her face. I laughed.  Too bad it didn't poop on her.

However, as all fun and good things must do, we decided it was time to fall asleep, and I needed to go to the restroom. None of the cabins had a bathroom or toilet, and with one pipe of running water (which was available outside) the only facility to fulfill this function was the shared outhouse in the middle of the peak.  Probably a quick two or three minute walk from the cabin we were staying in. I picked up one of the lanterns, made sure it was going to stay lit and walked out.

The outhouse was large, and really about what you would expect. Basically a stall exposed to the world. It had a door that could close tight and the walls extended almost to the ground, but there was a little room to allow light and ventilation.  The roof was slanted and crudely made.  What more can you expect for a exterior outhouse exposed to the harsh conditions of mountain peak living?  None the less, it was purposefully built. The almighty throne of nature was also about what you would expect: a box with a hole.  At least they provided a little padding.

To spare you the renal details, I did my business and was about to exit when I heard a sound coming from the bottom of the stall.  It was a sniffing sound, very harsh and abrupt. The beast outside shadowed the already diminished moon light coming in from the cracks of the plank wood stall. It felt like an eternity, but was probably only about five or ten minutes of the monstrous beast circling the primitive lavatory.

Eventually it left, but the thought through my head was, "How long do I wait?" So I waited longer.  I think I must have gotten to known that stall for a good hour before I worked up the courage to exit and scurry back to the cabin.

The next morning, all of the residents of the lodge gather together for a shared breakfast prepared in the dining hall. The hall was equipped with a full kitchen, complete with a propane fed stove and oven, an ice box refrigerator, large sinks full of water, and of course llamas. That's how they get their supplies up to the lodge daily.  Yet, that wasn't the interesting part of the morning.  No, the interesting part was the talk of the morning.

A large black bear, larger than any that LeConte had found in a while to that point was found wandering the lodge. It had ransacked the trash barrels, even the ones that were locked up, and destroyed a screen door leading to the kitchen.  Only the lodge workers saw the monstrous Black Bear.  I kept quiet. My face must have been white as a ghost.

That thing would torn me to shreds! Anyways... lesson learned: when using an outhouse, beware of Bears.

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This post topic provided by: @Edgesmash

15 Years Later... I'm Flying Again

It's been 15 years since my last flying lesson. When I was around 15 years old, I started flying and obtained my student/solo license. Then, a few flights later, I quit, mostly because of money, but a lot because my life was changing dramatically.

So, after years of pondering, months of saying "I want to," and few nudges from a co-worker who has his private's license, I finally got back in the air on Saturday, and have committed myself to flying once a week. It's about $250 a pop, no small change.

We started out on Saturday reviewing the pre-flight checklist. Pretty simple, check the wings, check the air intake, check the right wing gas, check clarity, check the strut, the brake, the wheel, follow along the wing, check for anything that doesn't look right. Check the flap hinges, the rudder, rear, check the left side wing, left side gas, check for clarity, left side intake, left wing, stall sensor, finally check engine (plugs, oil, brake fluid, etc.), prop blade, and engine fuel/clarity.

The instructor that I had was really good. He wanted to get me up in the air quick and see what I remembered from back in the day. I thought it'd be like getting on a bike, he didn't think so much like that. He did the radio work, mostly because I wasn't used to talking with a tower, but also because we found out my 15 year old headset had a short or something. Still have to fix that.

None the less, I taxied myself, knew how to navigate the taxiways and runways, even moved on to the center line and took off, all without intervention from the CFI. Pretty awesome I have to admit. My stomach sunk a little when I realized that I had done that, then a brief moment of "OH SHIT! I'M FLYING," but that left my system just as quickly as it entered.

We worked on 4 fundamentals, turns, descents, climbs, and climbing/descending turns. I also got my first introduction to GPS guided flight, GPS devices in planes, WHO KNEW! I did all of it without any problems. The only problem I had was wanting to keep my eyes in the cockpit, I have to work on looking out more and not worrying so much about the instrumentations.

We finished flying around and headed back to Hanscom Field. I got us on approach without much issue, and remembered how to use the lights to determine how high I was, and that's when I got a little nervous, and the CFI took over. I wasn't comfortable landing myself on the first go around, I guess I wanted to make sure I knew how to do it right, before I attempt a successful landing or successful suicide. =) None the less, I think I'll be making landings just fine in the near future.

I wasn't nearly as sweaty as I remember being when I first started out doing lessons. So, I think the anxiety is lower for me, which is a good thing. Anyways, this weeks goals:

- Get Books
- Schedule Next Flight Lesson

Sitecore 6: Using Parameters in Web Controls.

In Sitecore v5, using Parameters listed on the sublayout in the presentation details was a lengthy dive into the core UI API.  In Sitecore v6, they've modified it to be simpler.  For instance, if you have a sublayout (*.ascx) that has parameters listed you can now access those Parameters using the following code:

  string rawParameters = Attributes["sc_parameters"];
  NameValueCollection parameters = Sitecore.Web.WebUtil.ParseUrlParameters(rawParameters);

However, if you take advantage of using custom WebControls (*.cs) instead of a Sublayout (*.ascx) then that method doesn't work.  Instead you'll want to make use of the Parameters property on the inherited WebControl.

  string rawParameters = this.Parameters;
  NameValueCollection parameters = WebUtil.ParseUrlParameters(rawParameters);

Beware of Gift Cards from Stores that are Closing

Watch those store money cards and gift cards and credit slips! 

These are the stores that have informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009 (due to the "recession" and/or the fact that people are not shopping).  

If you have any "gift cards" from these stores, make sure you use them, or you will lose them! 

Circuit City stores... closing all stores

Macys to close 9 stores after January

Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide

Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January

Cache will close all stores

Talbots closing down all stores

J. Jill closing all stores

GAP closing 85 stores

Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January

Wickes Furniture closing down

Levitz closing down remaining stores

Bombay closing remaining stores

Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January

Whitehall closing all stores

Piercing Pagoda closing all stores

Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January

Home Depot closing 15 stores

Linens and Things closing all stores

Movie Galley Closing all stores

Pacific Sunware closing stores

Pep Boys Closing 33 stores

Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores

JC Penney closing a number of stores after January

Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores

Wilson Leather closing down all stores

Sharper Image closing down all stores

K B Toys closing 356 stores

Lowes to close down some stores

Dillard's to close some stores

Cool iPhone Apps

A friend recently asked what my favorite iPhone apps are that I've used in 2008.

Here's a short list.  All of the apps listed are freely available on the App Store.

• Facebook
  
• Weatherbug
  
• Twittelator
  
• Google App
  
• Pandora
  
• Flashlight
  
• Sudoku
  
• CheckPlease (Tip Calculator)
  
• Shazam (Song Recognition and Tagging)
  
• Zippo Lighter App
  
• Urbanspoon (Restaurant Shaker)
  
• Google Earth (cause it's just cool)
  
• Lightsaber (A Staple of any geek)
  
• TapDefense (A Tower Defense game for those long trips on the T)
  
• Fring (IM app)

There's no rhyme or reason to the order of this list, other than this is the order they show up in my phone!  If anyone has other ideas for GREAT iphone apps, feel free to send them my way.

Sitecore 6 Certified!

I am now Sitecore 6 Certified!  Woo hoo!

That's about all I got here.  =)