pay whatcha want...again

Following the lead of Radiohead's "it's up to you" payscale, Paste Magazine is leaving it up the readers to decide how much their magazine is worth.

For two weeks, anyone signing up for a new subscription or a renewal can name their own price for a year's worth of Paste (11 issues plus 11 CDs), with a minimum price of USD 1. "We were curious to know what our customers thought we were worth. And what better way to find out, than to let them tell us?" explains Paste President/Publisher Tim Regan-Porter. "While it's certainly a bit unconventional, we also see it as a chance to get our product in the hands of people who could become lifelong fans. It's been our experience that once people become familiar with Paste, they turn into loyal readers."

While this may have been 'unconventional' a month ago, being second behind Radiohead is like being the second kid in middle school to wear the new Abercrombie "let's see how many holes we can stick in our pants before we call them shorts" pants. You're still cool...just a little less cool.

Ok, you're not cool at all because you're wearing stupid holey pants but you get my point.

I just hope Paste didn't underestimate the overwhelming power of the Dutch gene in the face of a deal.

she's an only dog

no book for you

Here's an interesting article from the NY Times comparing German and American book selling practices:

In the United States chain stores have largely run neighborhood bookshops out of business. Here in Germany, there are big and small bookstores seemingly on every block. The German Book Association counts 4,208 bookstores among its members. It estimates that there are 14,000 German publishers. Last year 94,716 new titles were published in German. In the United States, with a population nearly four times bigger, there were 172,000 titles published in 2005.

Germany’s book culture is sustained by an age-old practice requiring all bookstores, including German online booksellers, to sell books at fixed prices. Save for old, used or damaged books, discounting in Germany is illegal.

Fascinating, right? We could examine all the different supply and demand curves, do some regression analysis, utilize all sorts of economics tools and come up with a great economic algorithm and do away with all the big box book stores!

Wow, I'm such a nerd. Here's a photo of Brett Favre holding his hands up in the air.

update: obviously I cannot recall all of my economics training but if you would like a new enterprise content management platform to support your web application development as well as create unifying information architecture and taxonomy structures then, shoot, give me a buzz.

crazy bugs

On Monday nights, Brooke attends graduate classes at UIC. What this means is a: my wife is far smarter than I and b: I need to cook for myself, something I am very bad at.

So I had Crazy Bugs.











Thanks to Tracy and Brooke and Whole Foods these were a great "my excellent chef of a wife is busy learning and I'm here watching Chuck but getting a little hungry" meal.

And let me tell you, these little bugs are super crazy. It looks like there is a caterpillar, a stink bug, and some sort of bat...the craziest bug ever.

(click the comic to zoom in)

stretcherson

So, that last post is what happens when I do not have Brooke edit my thoughts before I click 'post'. World Wide Web word throw-up.

Here is a picture of Sadie stretching. Enjoy.

geneva's labrynth

Over the weekend, Brooke and I had a little get away in Geneva, IL. "Little" because Geneva is hardly a stone throw away from the city and we only spent Sunday night there. It was a warm weekend in Chicagoland and I'm sure the same can be said elsewhere. So hot that I am sure Al Gore was somewhere in heaven smiling down knowing he has been right all along about this global warming thing.

What? Al Gore isn't dead or in heaven? He's not God? Well he sure had me fooled. Friends with Leo, won and Oscar, doesn't have to fight that Bin Laden guy. If not God then a very smart guy. Or a frog. Does anybody else see that? Just me? Huh. I really think he looks like a frog.

The first thing Brooke and I did when getting to lovely Geneva was find ourselves a place to eat. And the first thing I did there? Spill beer all over Brooke. Check that. Two beers. All over my beautiful wife. BUT, as the heavens and Al Gore may have it this weekend was my birthday and she HAD to keep loving me. Not that Brooke wouldn't have kept loving me. I have a very loving and caring wife but boy does the birthday thing help. Especially when there isn't an extra pair of blue jeans to change into when yours have been soaked with beer.

Geneva, albeit a cute little town, needs a little help in the diversity of their shops category. It is impossible to count the number of antique and trinket shops. Like the jar of beans at a county fair; an impossible guess and whatever you do guess more than likely you're going to be off by about 200. One shop, The Little Traveler (please click this link...though it hardly does the place justice), was the cake topper of all cake toppers. 36 rooms of stuff including a rooms pf hats, lamps, flowers, toys, food. Like a real life Dr. Seuss creation. Brooke and I were blending in like regular tourists until we started playing hide and seek.

Ok, we didn't play hide and seek but I thought about it and one day when we have little ones running about I will go back there and play the best game of hide and seek ever. Way better than those we currently play with our dog. She's such a bad hider.

UPDATE
Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize today and is anybody else not surprised? He's invincible. Probably disguised as a Earth loving, frog looking, Leo friending Terminator from the future. Next step, I suppose, is to not lose the White House again making him a mere mortal like the rest of us.

conversation over a burger

My cousin Mike is in town from Denver, CO. As I am typing this he is running a marathon. Yes, a marathon. What a juxtaposition that is. Me, typing. Him, running freakin far.

It was great to see him again as it has been over a year. We talked a lot and walked a lot. Here is a snippet of our conversation. Careful because you may confuse us for a couple of middle schoolers.

J: "Are you on this facebook thing? My wife just signed up and she likes it a lot and it's actually kind of cool"
M: "No, I'm not on it either, but I check out other peoples accounts ."
J: "So, why aren't you on it?"
M: "Why aren't YOU on it?"
J: "Not really sure. Just not."
M: "Yeah, me too."
J: "Hmmmm."
M: "I'll sign up if you sign up"

lots of words

Photos = lots of words. Some are obvious while others can be subtle. I am going to take this time, if you allow, to break down this photo. I may not end up with a thousand words (trust me, I won't. You can keep reading) but let's get to a few.

First, we went to a Ryan Adams show. He played for 2 1/2 hours and did not throw a hissy fit like the MN show. Tracy was there too. She's taking the picture after scoring a 13th row ticket from some girl at the last minute.

Second, I am wearing my Le Loup t shirt. Check this band out. We know the bearded guitar player through our neighbors and they are fantastic live. I really like this tee and wear it a lot. Every weekend. Twice. Don't worry, it's been washed. Once. Plus, I'm married. Brooke has to love me even when I stink. It's written in the vows. Between the I and the Do. "I will love you even when you wear the same shirt over and over again. Even if it has birds on it or giraffes. Or holes. DO.

Third, the show rocked.

Fourth, (and I'm getting long winded at this point, right?) Tracy signed Brooke up with a Facebook account the very next day. Now, I'm not one to be all facebookin and myspacin and never thought my wife would be. But, she is. One day, we're standing out in front of the Chicago Theater all smiley and facebookless and the next, as we're cooking dinner, the computer finds its way into the kitchen, next to me cutting the onions, tears streaming down my face "hey, can you check my facebook? because somebody may have written on my wall."

I've lost my wife to the 'puter.