Friday, April 30, 2010

Rosendale Theatre Collective leading Pepsi challenge


The Rosendale Theatre Collective is currently leading the Pepsi challenge. If the group wins, it will get $50,000.

Voting ends today.

The Collective was leading earlier in the month. But then the New York Times wrote about it, and it moved to second place.

Just sayin'

The Hudson Valley Youth Wind Ensembles is No. 7, by the way, and will most likely move to next month's voting.

Good luck to all.

Here are their widgets:


I'm a page

In celebration of my 100th column, The Facebook privacy take-down published on Wednesday, I've decided to make myself into a Facebook page so you can "like" my contradictory ramblings. (If you don't, I'm telling my mom).

It has links to all my previous columns, blog posts, fan and hate mail.

You can also send my ideas, tips, suggestion and whatever is on your mind, so that then I can properly ignore your input or write you a condescending reply.




Ivan Lajara on Facebook

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Kingston Digital Corridor mapping hot spots

If you see this sticker at any establishment in the Kingston area, the venue has Wi-Fi.


The cool kids of the Kingston Digital Corridor announced today during a networking/drinking session that they are mapping the city and that they will unveil a hot-spot map soon. They also want your help, so send them a line if you want to help.

Enjoy your porn, I mean, free Internet.

Ben Stiller not coming Friday for Elliot Auerbach's fundraiser starring Ben Stiller

So I'm on Facebook, (working, seriously!) and I run into this:

BEN STILLER AND ELLIOTT AUERBACH AT THE ROSENDALE THEATER ON FRIDAY (emphasis mine)




So immediately I go into berzerker mode trying to figure out how this happened and how Stiller was booked and all that.

So I clicked on "see more" ...and what I see is that the event is a screening of the movie "Greenberg" starring Ben Stiller.

For this event's headline, I declare an EPIC FAIL!

Those who attend the event thinking Stiller will be there will have to console themselves with cheese and wine and Auerbach.

I really hope his jokes are good.

Anyway, here are the details from the post:

BEN STILLER AND ELLIOTT AUERBACH AT THE ROSENDALE THEATER ON FRIDAY Friends of Elliott Auerbach, The Rosendale Theater in conjunction with the Rosendale Democratic Committee is having a fundraiser for Elliott Auerbach, candidate for re-election to the post of Ulster County Comptroller. Time is 7pm ...with a complimentary wine and cheese party,immediately following the movie. The reception will be held right next to the theater at Canaltown Alley. Suggested donation is $20.00. The movie is GREENBERG, starring Ben Stiller. Come on out, see a movie, and meet and talk to Elliott at thereception. For questions, please call Judy Hakam at 255-4166 or e-mailJudy at judith.hakam@gte.net.

Chocolate cake covered in spaghetti icing, with Ferrero Roche meatballs smothered with raspberry sauce - for the soul

Is it real? Very much.




Also real is http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Confirmed! Boobs do not cause quakes

Purdue University's Jen McCreight's mini (or mega) cause, "Boobquake" took off on Monday and the results are in.

McCreight tested Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi's claim that “Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity, and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes" (emphasis mine, as if it needs it).

So McCreight tested the hyphotesis, if you can even call it that.

The event on Facebook gathered more than 200,000 confirmed guests, many of whom were men (with manboobs?).

At the end, it turns out boobs do not cause earthquakes. Here's a sexy image with proof.

Monday, April 26, 2010

On today's bloggosphere: YouTube videos, 'known' people, golden opportunities - and your photos suck

* Ulster County Legislator Michael Madsen, D-Kingston, has a new post with a YouTube video posted more than a year ago.

* The Ulster County Development Corp. announces that "an exciting group of nationally known travel and tourism experts" will speak at an upcoming tourism conference. I'm excited to say I don't know any of the "nationally known" speakers.

* KingstonCitizens.org touts "A Golden Opportunity For the City Of Kingston’s Youth." I checked. Sorry, kids, there's no gold.

* Photographer Jen Kiaba gives out some great photo tips after coming to the shocking conclusion that your photos suck.

* Cheyl Paff of At the Farmers Market talks about the Woodstock Farm Festival featuring a cool YouTube video that will give you the munchies.

SeeClickFix takes off

Below is the activity at http://dailyfreeman.com/seeclickfix/ just today.


Another person wants Sinkhole - major dip in road fixed.
Issue created Sinkhole - major dip in road
Another person wants Traffic signal malfunctioning fixed.
Comment added to Huge garbage Pile
Comment added to Huge garbage Pile
Comment added to Drug Activity
Another person wants Long Lights and no one moving fixed.
Comment added to Drug Activity
Comment added to Uptown Parking Lot
Comment added to Uptown Parking Lot
Comment added to Drug Activity
Issue closed Huge garbage Pile
Comment added to garbage on side of building
Comment added to Huge garbage Pile
Comment added to garbage on side of building
Comment added to Huge garbage Pile
Comment added to PARENT ALERT
Comment added to Drug Activity
Issue created TRAFFIC BACKS UP AT THIS IN...
Comment added to Drug Activity

Issue created PARENT ALERT
Image added to Huge garbage Pile
Garbage__2__small
Issue created Huge garbage Pile
Comment added to the old bridge needs to be ...
Comment added to the old bridge needs to be ...
Comment added to Drug Activity
Comment added to Drug Activity
Another person wants Drug Activity fixed.
Issue created garbage on side of building
Comment added to Drug Activity
Comment added to junk cars and trailers
Another person wants Drug Activity fixed.
Private watch area created
Another person wants Drug Activity fixed.
Issue created junk cars and trailers
Issue created West bound berm is much low...

Facebook answers with nonanswer

So I contacted Facebook to find out what had happened with Martha Frankel's link. (See the two posts past naked Obama). After getting an automatic reply. I received this other automatic reply the following day:



Hi,

Our systems indicate that the email address you are writing from is not associated with an account that has been warned or disabled. Please be aware that you must email us directly from the email address associated with the account in question in order for us to assist you.

Be sure to provide your full name and a brief description of the problem you are experiencing in your response, and include all of our prior correspondence so that we can refer to your original inquiry. If you are unable to send a message from your login email address, please list the email address in your response and we will look into this matter further.

If you're writing on behalf of a friend, please ask your friend to write to us directly, so that we can confirm their identity for account security purposes.

If your inquiry is not related to a warning or a disabled account, please visit our Help Center at http://www.facebook.com/help.php

Thanks,


Yes, thanks for nothing, Facebook. UNLIKE!

P.S. The elusive Facebook e-mail adress that's almost impossible to find is not listed anywhere.

So here it is: appeals+ys5jtaa@support.facebook.com.

Barack Obama naked! (The action figure)


The folks at Random Good Stuff have found this:

At 1/6th the scale, the figure has over 38 points of articulation that allows you to pose Obama as you wish. Suitable for fabric costumes at the 1/6th scale and comes with 2 pairs of hands, 2 heads and fantastic details on his facial expression. Measures 30 cm (11.8 inches) in height.
That's right. Two heads.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Frankel speaks out on 'abusive' link

I spoke to 'Brazilian Sexy' author and West Shokan resident Martha Frankel on a thing called "the telephone" tonight, to talk about her "abusive" Facebook link. (see post below)

Here's her take:

At around 5:30 p.m. today, Frankel re-posted a link to her story on her Facebook account:


When she clicked on it, she said she was taken "to a page I've never seen before."

Instead of going to the Freeman story, Frankel said she received a message that said that Facebook users had reported the posting as "abusive."

For the three of you who don't quite understand Facebook yet, it is important to note that only her Facebook "friends" can see her posts (full disclosure: I became her "friend" today) and only they could have reported her (full disclosure: I wasn't me).

But she said she has more than 3,000 friends (which means I'm not special) because she uses Facebook for publicity. She said the social network is "a great tool" and that because of the abuse report, she was "angry, crazy and scared."

Frankel said that there are really some offensive groups and posts on Facebook, but that, "Me kidding that I'm naked on my home newspaper gets me banned?

"I sort-of push the limits sometimes. But it's only language," Frankel said.

She called her husband and car-collector of the year/sculptor/Artists Soapbox Derby judge/person Steve Heller to access her Facebook account at around 7:30 p.m., after I told her that the link worked in my profile.

On hers, she said the message about abusive content remained.

And then, all of a sudden - on the third try - the link worked.

I've contacted Facebook (I'll buy you a beer if you can find their tech support e-mail in less than 30 minutes) and it says it will get back to me soon.

I'll keep you posted.

Author's 'sexy' Freeman link restored on Facebook


West Shokan author Martha Frankel informed me that Facebook "disabled the link to the story you guys did on me in today's freeman--- it said that some facebook users found it offensive!"

"Brazilians, local author redefine sexy" is a BOOK story, mind you, about female empowerment.

So what happened?

Was it the picture?

The word "sexy"?

The fact that we put "video" with the story? (video of the interview, you perv!)

The very fact that Facebook is censoring items without checking them is troublesome, because it could potentially mean that if I don't like you, I could complain and ban your ugly face from posting Mob Wars accomplishments on my News Feed.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. So, Martha, link to this post, and people will get your story.

And Facebook, ST(expletive)U.

UPDATE: Frankel, "Figured a way around the uptight facebook censors." She added. "Buck them." But she didn't say "buck."

UPDATE 2: Frankel reports (on Facebook): "Phew. Facebook took me off the banned list. They now don't care that I was naked on the cover of my local paper."



Here's some reaction of the episode, via Facebook:




Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Double Down goes down



Call the doctor.

On today's bloggosphere: houses, hipsters and other things that don't start with 'H'

* City Editor Jeremy Schiffres talks about "silly censorship." It's a (EXPLETIVE) eye-opener.

* Ulster County Comptroller Elliot Auerbach talks about all the sold houses I can't afford.

* Photographer Jen Kiaba grapples with being a modern woman in a world of hipsters who wear things like a native-style head dress from Urban Outfitters. I'm afraid to show her this link.

* Leslie Coons talks about deers vs. plants (deers win, by the way); Batiks (not to be confused with batpeople); remembering an influential gardener whose name I can't remember; and making jelly with dandelions (I rather have chicken).

* Andrew Hickey of 90MilesNorth talks about Search engine optimization companies in the Hudson Valley not being clear enough with their clients and other things that are not clear to me.

* The folks at Dragon Search create content about creating content and uses this one place to talk about having "a presence in a LOT of places."

KFC's Double Down healthier than salads*


* If the salad is from a fast food place.

If you read my report on sex, sleep and KFC's Double Down burger (?), you'll be surprised to find that there are "salads" that are worse than the burger made out of animal parts piled up on one another.

The Double Down is "healthier" than Burger King's "Tendercrisp Garden Salad,
Wendy's Chicken BLT Salad With Honey Dijon Dressing and the Southwest Taco Salad with ranch dressing and tortilla strips.

See the whole report here.

And before I forget, this is why you're fat.

Rapper Theory's new video stars Hudson Valley



Poughkeepsie hip-hop and R&B artist Theory will debut his new music video for his song "We'll Be Alright" next week.

Directed by director Jarek Zabczynski, the video will be the first film project shot on the Walkway Over the Hudson Railroad Bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland.
Other locations include New Paltz and Kingston.

The premiere celebration will take place at Shadows on the Hudson, 176 Rinaldi Boulevard in Poughkeepsie, on April 30 at 10 p.m. Casual attire with a futuristic theme is encouraged. Admission is free.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Hitler meme faces downfall


If you are a fan of Internet memes, you probably have run into the many Hitler parodies taken from the movie "Downfall" that have been populating YouTube for years.

No more.

Mashable reports - and a simple YouTube search confirms - that the most popular parodies have already been taken down.

What's the 'Downfall' meme? Knowyourmeme.com explains:

“The Hitler Meme” or “Hitler finds out” is a video meme involving the addition of new subititles (sic) to the dramatic scene of Hitler’s final meltdown from the German movie Downfall directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The subtitles are often anachronistically altered with humerous (sic, geez!) English subtitles surrounding current events.

From the NYTimes: “Fire up YouTube. There you can see the Hitler figure erupt in frustration over his Xbox. He flips out because his friends aren’t going to Burning Man. And, recently, he loses it because Sarah Palin isn’t working out as a running mate. Something in the spectacle of an autocrat falling to pieces evidently has widespread appeal.”

That very Xbox parody got the ax already.

The most popular ones as of April 13, according to BBC News:

* Hitler gets banned from Xbox Live: 4,260,975
* Hitler finds out Kanye West Disses Taylor Swift: 1,067,024
* Usain Bolt Breaks 100m World Record: 1,096,241
* Ronaldo leaves Utd: 1,439,671
* Hitler Finds Out Sarah Palin Resigns: 497,903

Here's an example that's still up right now: