Go Bucks!

The Future in 3Dxml

For those who are not familiar, 3D XML is a universal, lightweight XML-based format that enables users to share live, accurate 3D data quickly and easily. A free player is provided by Dassault Systemes (you will need to install a plugin in order to view our creations). The models come with no history, meaning you can’t see exactly how they were built, just what the end result is.

One of the coolest features of 3D VIA is the ability to integrate high quality 3D models within Word and PowerPoint documents, which is as easy as dragging and dropping the 3D XML file into the Office document. This also enables users to view interactive, real-time 3D applications in a Web browser or stream them from a website.

Continue reading here.

Halloween JibJab

These things crack me up! (I'm the vampire.)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Detroit Zoo Pictures

Sarah got a new Nikon camera for her birthday so we decided to put it to good use by visiting the Detroit Zoo. It was a little on the cold side so we thought it was going to be a crappy day but it turned out even more enjoyable than our visit last summer. Animals of note that were a treat to see were the baby red panda, arctic foxes, wolverine and, of course, feeding the giraffes. Enjoy the pictures!























And, of course, a video will be coming soon. Stay tuned!

This is a test message

This is a test message from my phone.

Conan the Barabarian Does a Few Trick

Sarah and I decided it would be really awesome if we could teach Conan (aka The Beast) how to do a few tricks like play dead. We video taped the results.

Lovely Reminder

This just showed up in my inbox today. Can't wait!

Contests Entered Update 10/22/09

3D Models Update

New versions of the Intamin and Vekoma style coasters I have created.

October Trips FAIL

I've had several trips in the works throughout the month of October and all of them fell through. White water rafting in West Virginia at the beginning of the month didn't work out. I was supposed to go to Germany for work and that didn't pan out. And I have been meaning to go to Halloweekends at Cedar Point for years, was finally thinking this would be the year, and that isn't going to happen either. Bummer. On the bright side, I'm ok with all of that as long as my planned birthday present to my self trip to Orlando next months goes off without hitch. Here's hoping.

The Read Blogs Blog

I am an avid reader but in recent years the majority of the reading I do has shifted from primarily books to mostly websites and blogs. I still read from the good ole dead trees, just not as often as I used to. And that doesn't really bother me that much because it has paid off. I received a free cooler that I pack my lunch in everyday from being one of the first followers of the Schlitterblog. It was through Coasterbuzz that I found out about Give Kids the World fundraiser and got to ride Gemini 105 times. And most recently, I was selected as a Redblog Reader Who Rocks! For those kids out there who don't believe me, it pays to read!

Story is Everything

This is a trailer for the upcoming film "2012." The funny part is all of the GCI affects during this scene have been removed, revealing a tired storyline and bad acting. This is a perfect example of why I think story is everything and proves GCI is way over-used.

Cleveland is cursed!

You've got to be kidding me! Less than a week after being traded to the New York Jets, drop-aholic Braylon Edwards caught a touchdown pass on the Jets' first offensive possession on Monday Night Football. I shouldn't be surprised because he doesn't play for Cleveland anymore. He won't drop a pass the rest of the year, mark my words.

LEGO Rock Band

What an ingenious idea. They're taking two of my favorite things: Lego and video games and combining them in one great game. It will be interesting to see how the game works and if it shares features with the other LEGO games, which would make it very unique.

The Fun Theory

Volkswagen, with the help of ad agency DDB Stockholm has created this gem of a viral video. It’s all part of a new campaign called, “The Fun Theory,” which attempts to find out if making the world more fun can improve people’s behavior.

This experiment: will more people choose stairs over an escalator if the stairs are more fun to walk on?

New Thom Yorke!

It's been raining Thom Yorke lately (also known as Thombola). The latest is "Hearing Damage" from the New Moon soundtrack. The song kind of has a Joy Division feel to it. Check it out:

Data Mining a Redbox + A Story

Not sure if they do this or if it is even legal, but the folks at Redbox are sitting on a mine of data. The way Redbox works is you swipe your credit card and it vends you a movie of your choice. Think about all the statistics they could track through their one dollar a night DVD vending machines: Average time a movie is rented for, at what time do people typically rent movies and return them, where they are when they use the machine each time, the most popular movies, which age group likes what movies, how often do users rent movies and is it correlated to other events, does the same person use the same redbox regularly, what locations have a higher rental rate based on the store they are located in, etc. Redbox could use the results to stock their machines accordingly. Maybe the machines in Detroit have a higher rental rate for uplifting flicks or comedies and a machine in Florida needs to vend mostly horror movies. The possibilities are endless.




I was returning a DVD to a Redbox machine at my local Kroger grocery store the other day and there was an old man next to me purchasing a lottery ticket. My first thought was “dude, you’re like sixty years old. If you win the lottery you’re not going to have time to enjoy it.” But that’s neither here nor there. So, I was sticking the movie into the machine and the man says to me “Those things are a great deal. I like to rent the DVDs for a night, burn them, and then watch them on my own time. It’s much better than downloading.” Whoa! This creepy old man is illegally burning and downloading movies? That’s just so wrong, on more than one level.

Count by Increments in Excel

So you may be wondering how to make a list in excel go from one specified number to another in user defined increments. Well I recently had to use this application myself and this is the format I used. A user enters the number the start counting from in the first yellow square, the number to end at in the next, and finally in what increments they would like to count up at. Here is the driving formula:

=IF(I2="","",IF(I2+1*$F$1<=$D$1,I2+1*$F$1,"")) and =B1 in cell I2.

Pictured are two examples.

Is CGR the Answer?

Is CGR (CATIA Graphical Representation) the answer to my questions about reducing the file size of my ribbed splines for the Vekoma flyer recreation? I wouldn't be able to edit the geometry after I did it but that would be ok. If this actually works I might jump back into that project.

Stillness is the Move

Weird video but awesome vocals, especially after the strings come in.