JBot Mania http://www.jbotmania.com A chance meeting of the left and right brain. Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:58:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 Sometimes you find that common bond in the workplace http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/02/17/sometimes-you-find-that-common-bond-in-the-workplace/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/02/17/sometimes-you-find-that-common-bond-in-the-workplace/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:56:50 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/02/17/sometimes-you-find-that-common-bond-in-the-workplace/ Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/02/17/sometimes-you-find-that-common-bond-in-the-workplace/feed/ 44 Presidents http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/24/44-presidents/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/24/44-presidents/#comments Sun, 25 Jan 2009 01:16:00 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/?p=500 Click here to view the embedded video. ]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/24/44-presidents/feed/ A dastardly problem http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/02/a-dastardly-problem/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/02/a-dastardly-problem/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:23:03 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/02/a-dastardly-problem/ My step dad’s machine was doing the most annoying thing - any time you opened a second IE window, either by clicking on a link or even using the Quick Launch shortcut, it would close your other open IE window. Ungodly annoying. How many of us DON’T multitask in IE with multiple windows.

Well, the culprit seems to be Yahoo! Toolbar. Check out this post. Once we uninstalled that, all was well in the world of basic IE browsing.

http://bink.nu/forums/p/5555/10271.aspx

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2009/01/02/a-dastardly-problem/feed/ Holiday music mashup http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/29/holiday-music-mashup/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/29/holiday-music-mashup/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:21:13 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/29/holiday-music-mashup/ Below is the latest musical collaboration from my workplace - holiday tunes. The winner for Most Obscure (and most painful): Christmas Conga by Cyndi Lauper.

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/29/holiday-music-mashup/feed/ Collaboration leads to a great CD http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/24/collaboration-leads-to-a-great-cd/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/24/collaboration-leads-to-a-great-cd/#comments Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:42:08 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/?p=494 A while back I asked people at work for their Top Three songs. “Top Three” being either their top three favorites or the top three most played on their iPod. Sora did this back at an old job and it was alot of fun.

I ending up offering to pick a winner and give them a $10 Starbucks card in order to encourage submissions. The idea caught on and in the end I made CDs for anyone who wanted them. I took my own creative license with the play order.

Here’s what we ended up with:

  1. Papa Loves Mambo - Perry Como - Perry Como: Greatest Hits
  2. Kodo: Inside the Sun Remix - Yoshida Brothers - Yoshida Brothers, Vol. 2
  3. Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
  4. Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
  5. So Much Mine - The Story - Angel In the House
  6. Wondering Where the Lions Are - Bruce Cockburn - Bruce Cockburn: Anything Anytime Anywhere - Singles 1979-2001
  7. Dream - Priscilla Ahn - Priscilla Ahn EP
  8. Better In Time - Leona Lewis - Spirit (Deluxe Version)
  9. You Said Something - PJ Harvey - Stories from the City - Stories from the Sea
  10. I Try - Ben Taylor - Deeper Than Gravity - EP
  11. Serious - Duffy - Rockferry
  12. The Story - Brandi Carlile - The Story (WINNER)
  13. Gravity - Embrace - Out of Nothing
  14. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
  15. Electric Feel - MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
  16. The Distance - Cake - Fashion Nugget
  17. Our Song - Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift
  18. Caledonia - Margo Hennebach - Margo Hennebach
  19. Sascha - Jolie Holland - Escondida
  20. Ball and Chain - Social Distortion - Greatest Hits
]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/12/24/collaboration-leads-to-a-great-cd/feed/ More about “How to Read a Book” http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/24/more-about-how-to-read-a-book/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/24/more-about-how-to-read-a-book/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:54:56 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/?p=492 I received a comment from Max Weismann on another post and I think it bears focusing on in its own post:

We have recently made an exciting discovery–three years after writing the wonderfully expanded third edition of How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren made a series of thirteen 14-minute videos on the art of reading. The videos were produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica. For reasons unknown, sometime after their original publication, these videos were lost.

When we discovered them and how intrinsically edifying they are, we negotiated an agreement with Encyclopaedia Britannica to be the exclusive worldwide agent to make them available.

For those of you who teach, this is great for the classroom.

I cannot over exaggerate how instructive these programs are–we are so sure that you will agree, if you are not completely satisfied, we will refund your donation.

Please go here to see a clip and learn more:

http://www.thegreatideas.org/HowToReadABook.htm

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/24/more-about-how-to-read-a-book/feed/ More stumbling http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/05/more-stumbling/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/05/more-stumbling/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:04:33 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/05/more-stumbling/ Coolest Unboxing of a Phone Ever - Video

http://www.maniacworld.com/coolest-unboxing-of-a-phone-ever.html

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/11/05/more-stumbling/feed/ Looking for some unique lighting? http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/looking-for-some-unique-lighting/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/looking-for-some-unique-lighting/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:22:23 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/?p=484 A list of 40 of the most unique can be found here:
http://www.offbeatearth.com/dont-like-reading-other-uses-for-books/

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/looking-for-some-unique-lighting/feed/ A book alternative http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/a-book-alternative/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/a-book-alternative/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:14:44 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/a-book-alternative/ Amazing use of books…

See more…
http://www.offbeatearth.com/dont-like-reading-other-uses-for-books/

]]> http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/26/a-book-alternative/feed/ A genius end to the weekend http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/12/a-genius-end-to-the-weekend/ http://www.jbotmania.com/2008/10/12/a-genius-end-to-the-weekend/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:48:47 +0000 JBot http://www.jbotmania.com/?p=472 If you’ve been on  the Apple site at all exploring the new iPods, you’ve heard about the Genius playlist. If you’ve updated your iTunes recently you would have seen it too. I decided to try it out.

After a weekend that went from frustration to exasperation to anguish to desperation to something strangely like elation, it was time, yet again, for music to comfort me. I decided that my jumping off point for Genius would be “Madly” by Tristan Prettyman. I thought that the song was relatively upbeat - not all that telling of my mood. Needless to say, I was wrong.

“Madly” by Tristan Prettyman

Madly madly madly
Well tell me that you need me
Show me I’m the only and that’s all I need to know.

I’m envisioning some alarm going off in the sterile white Apple Genius department where these lists are loving created by hand and it said something like “Hip girl needs songs to dwell on and hopefully release lingering heartache”.

It turned out to be spot on. What’s fantastic is that the list is generated from your own music.

All in all the 25 songs it picked took me quickly through the roller coaster that we all ride when all is said and done. Upbeat to uncaring and quickly back to that sinking feeling of nearing the end, to contemplative, to upbeat again, then assertive even playful, and soon, angry, quickly to wistful and soon desperately hoping it will be fixed in some grand cinematographic fashion, followed by solemn and then finally, sadly accepting and quiet.

All that in 25 songs.

Genius offers suggestions along the side which is where the “genius” is for Apple because I bought 7 of them.

“Apologies” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

My love is like a blanket
That gets a little bit too warm sometimes
I wanna wrap somebody in it
Who can hold me in his arms
Cause when it got a little too hot in there
He was always stepping out for air and he froze
Oh he froze

The other six also spanned my little spectrum of emotion from sad to love songs I’d love someone to send to me one day and then some upbeat distracting tunes.

“Until You” by Dave Barnes

I need you now and forever
So stay right here with me
Don’t ever leave
Love was kept from me like a secret
And I swore that I was through
Until you, until you

The city settles down
I watch you as you sleep
There’s a silent celebration for
Every breath you breathe
Now this all makes sense
With you as company
I left all I knew and found
A better part of me, yeah

“Lucky” by Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat

Lucky I’m in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we’re in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

I’m done distracting myself with cleaning. Now I have to do actual work. It requires concentration. We’ll see how often my mind wanders. I think I’ll end the day with

“Near to You” by A Fine Frenzy

He and I had something beautiful
But so dysfunctional, it couldn’t last
I loved him so but I let him go
‘Cause I knew he’d never love me back

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