For those of you who have been following along, I have talked about our Elopement and plans for a Wedding Party…well, I finally completed work on a little Ruby on Rails site hosted by Heroku. The site is live and running now. So check out the site, learn more about what is happening, and R.S.V.P. today!

It’s going to be a fun time so don’t let this pass you by.

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The first clue that this e-mail is fake is that the sending address has “Inc” in the “support@PayPal.Inc.com” e-mail address. Secondly, if you choose to click on the “dispute transaction” link from the e-mail, you’ll see an address like this in your browser:

http://81.21.68.248/www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr=cmd=p/index.php

Which yields the following web site:

There are many things wrong with the site such as funky characters showing up, etc. Lets hope that most people will not fall prey to this Trojan horse attack. Here is the official Paypal link to report phishing attacks like this one.

For those of you joining us for our wedding party, we have started mailing out our “Save the Date” cards and I suspect that most of you will be getting these in the mail by the end of the week. Hopefully, everyone can make it as we would love to see everyone come out. The party is going to hosted at our house with catered food and an assortment of things to drink. I am currently working on a Ruby on Rails site that will allow you all to R.S.V.P. to the party (more details on that in a future post). Of course, you can comment to this post here if you like as well.

Additional party details about our elopement and wedding plans can be found on the Elopement page.

Mark your calendar and stay tuned for further updates!

Yep, Kate and I have decided to elope. We are still reserving September 6th of this year for the grand ring exchange but it will just be the two of us and…well…the motorcycle, of course!

Despite this change of events, we are still having a party. It will be held at our place, in the Springs, which should make it easier on all of you. I admit that I had grand schemes of holding the event in a remote location in the mountains but I know that not everyone shares my love of the road so we believe this is best for everyone involved. Here are the details:

• Date: September 27th, 2008
• Time: All day but food will most likely be served in the afternoon.
• Location: Our Place (if you don’t know where it is by now then e-mail me and I’ll set you straight)

Kate has written up additional details on the Elopement page. If you have questions, leave comments here or just contact me directly. Otherwise, see you on September 27th!

While attending EclipseCon 2008 this week a discussion came up about the various video and audio podcasts that people subscribe to. Here are the syndicated feeds of my favorite podcasts in case anyone wants to add more to their repertoire:

• Freelance Radio - News and information related to freelancing. I have written about Freelance Radio before.
• Grape Radio - For those who love wine.
• Play Digital - Short and entertaining video podcast for gamers.
• 1UP - A video podcast that usually reviews three games in 30 minutes.
• TWIP - A podcast and video feed dedicated to learning more about photography. I have written about TWIP before.
• Blogging Pro - News and information related to WordPress.
• The Java Posse - A panel that discusses Java news each week (sometimes more). If you are a Java developer, this is one feed you don’t want to miss out on.
• Software Engineering Radio - Excellent podcast discussing design patterns, programming languages, etc. There have also been some very interesting interviews with Dave Thomas (founder of OTI), Erich Gamma, and other former OTIers.
• Podcasting Underground - Tips, tricks, equipment suggestions, etc. for podcasting.
• Hansel Minutes - Another technology podcast. Howerver, as of late, it has been talking more about Microsoft technology.
• Railscast - Video podcasts demonstrating Ruby on Rails code.
• Rails Envy - Another Ruby on Rails podcast.
• Linux Reality - Discusses tips and tricks related to Linux as well as learning about and setting up new software on the Linux platform.
• The Mac Attack - MacOS news and info.
• TWiT - Reviews technology news for the week with a random panel of people hosted by Leo Laporte.
• MacBreak Weekly - Reviews Apple news with a radom panel of people hosted by Leo Laporte.
• GigaVox Media - Random technological news and information hosted by some very bright minds. This is one feed you don’t want to miss out on.
• DL.TV - Technology news and review. Usually involving gadgets and gear.
• Unwired - Another tech review, usually around gadgets and gear.
• NPR (Fresh Air) - Random intimate interviews with actors, artists, singers, writers, etc.
• NPR (It’s All Politics) - Two guys discussing and analyzing the current state of American politics.
• NPR (Intelligence Squared) - Philosophical debates, sometimes on long tail issues.
• Political Lunch - A short (usually 5 mins) video review of daily American political news.
• Discus - An entertaining review of obscure movies (usually).
• Astronomy Cast - Teaches about the science related to astronomy and all things that make up our universe.

• An Inconvenient Truth - Hopefully, by now, you have watched the DVD and seen what Al Gore has been up to (ultimately winning him a Nobel Peace Prize). Otherwise, add it to your rental queue, its worth seeing.
• The Story of Stuff - A 20 minute video that will cause you to think about (or remind you of) the side effects of producing consumer goods.
• Buy CFLs:
  WPvideo 1.10

(click to buy)

Dr. Moira Gunn recently interviewed John Kao about his book “Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back”. Good discussion topics brought up during the course of the interview:

• American Youth - They seem to have lost the meaning of “hard work” and feel they are entitled to everything.
• Melting Pot - America is no longer being perceived as a the melting pot of ideas, cultures, foreign influence etc.
• Talent Stickiness - Top talent is no longer staying but moving elsewhere.
• Legal Madness - The country is overrun by lawyers.

I recommend listing to the podcast (32:36 minutes) as found on the IT Conversations network. The book is probably worth checking out as well.

• Syndicated Feeds (RSS) - This year showed an increase in the use of syndicated feeds both in terms of corporate and personal use. I continue to promote this technology every chance I get.
• WordCamp - Traveled to WordCamp to learn more about WordPress (what is used to power this site).
• Enterprise of One - Changed my thinking from a single individual to one of a single enterprise.
• Consulting Work - Started working as a consultant.
• Switched to Mac - Switched from Windows to the MacOS platform. Still happy with the switch.
• Refresh Denver - Joined the Refresh Denver group to stay in tune with the latest in local technologies and trends.
• Aeonscope Site Updates - Continue to update the various pages on this site with detailed info on the various things I am following. This is a huge benefit for myself but hopefully it proves useful for others as well.

Visit the site archives for additional details.

• What: A Pre-New Year’s Eve Poker Tournament
• When: Saturday, December 29 at 7 p.m.
• Where: Brooke and Kate’s Place

Bring your poker face to this Texas Hold ‘Em tourney and enjoy some homemade pizza. Some beverages will be provided but you might want to bring something tasty to sip as well. Buy in with $10, and 2nd and 3rd place are in the money with the winner taking most. Fun prizes will also be awarded to those all-in-and-all-out early, who can then take advantage of the TV for movies and/or video games — or a second-round tourney.

RVSP by commenting below or via e-mail by December 27 (Thursday).

Not familiar with Texas Hold ‘Em? Check out these handy links:

• Texas Hold ‘Em Set up and Play
• Video instructions
• How to Deal and Play Texas Hold ‘Em

(click to view)

Kate and I have put the finishing touches on a DVD that chronicles the adventures of the past year that we hope close friends and family will enjoy. Much of the content of the DVD can already be viewed within the Adventures category on this site but the DVD supports much higher resolution and comes complete with a stereo soundtrack.

We had a lot of fun putting together this DVD and hope you will enjoy watching it. If anyone has issues with the disk or we have forgotten someone, let us know. All disks should be arriving in the mail by end of week. Otherwise, feel free to comment below.

• Unwired - Mostly about gear and gadgets. Hosted by Wil Harris who is also driving force behind the Channel Flip network.
• Discus - A movie review site that is always entertaining to watch. Make sure to watch for the piggy-piggy-snack-snack segment at the end.
• Play:Digital - A great way to get quick highlights about current games on multiple platforms. One of my favorite sources of game news now.

Josh and Suzanne are having a house warming party this coming weekend for those who would like to attend. Here are the details:

• Date: August 18th, 2007 (Saturday).
• Time: 2pm, food will be ready around 4pm.
• Location: Details can be found here.
• Food & Beverage: There will be chicken, brauts, cole slaw, chips and dip, pasta salad, beans, watermellon, various beverages, etc. Feel free to bring what you want as well.

Be prepared to get wet as there will be some water games in the pool. Hope you can make it, if you are in the Phoenix area, that is.

© Brian Chu

Kate and I are hosting a BBQ this coming weekend and you are invited! Be prepared to eat, drink, and enjoy the cool summer weather (hopefully it holds up). This event also serves as kind of send off party as I will be traveling to WordCamp in eight days (getting excited).

Here are the details:

• Date: 2007-7-14 (Saturday).
• Time: 12pm, food will be ready at 12:30pm.
• Location: Address info and map details will be e-mailed to those who comment to this post.
• Food & Beverage: We will be serving up a gourmet chicken sandwich with pasta salad, chips, cake, etc. Various forms of liquid included as well.

Feel to bring extra food and/or beverages if you like but you are definitely not required. Please sign up by leaving a comment to this post and mention how many will be in your party so we can prepare accordingly.

We hope you can make it!

I thought it would be cool to share some of my favorite feeds even though I keep a complete Links of Interest list on my Archives page. The problem, however, is that when I update the list on that page I seldom point out the ones that really stand out even though I like all of them. Here is a highlight of the ones I find truly valuable (listed in no particular order):

1. Lifehacker - Teaches one how to get the most out of technology, complete with great how-tos.
2. Hansel Minutes - A weekly podcast dedicated to discussing technology.
3. The Micro ISV Show - An interesting podcast to listen to for those wishing to freelance or start their own business.
4. NPR’s Fresh Air - While I do not listen to all the of shows, I listen to quite a few. The podcasts consist of insightful interviews with celebrities, politicians, etc.
5. Open Culture - This has a great blend of interesting news, video, and podcasts where you can learn about languages, music, education, etc.
6. Web Tools Collection - This is an excellent feed to have if you are a WordPress theme/plug-in developer since most of the posts are technical in nature.
7. Lorelle on WordPress - A very educational feed for proper blogging practice and ediquette. Mostly WordPress related but very good for those who do not use WordPress.
8. Gigavox Media - One of the best podcast feeds around for the technical minded. The podcasts consist of technical conference recordings, latest technology trends, and discussion about technology.
9. Skype Garage - For Skype enthusiasts, this is a great feed to have as it contains news about software patches and major releases of the application complete with fix/enhancement details.

What about you? What are some of your favorite feeds?

I’d like to point out a new presence on the web: Backward Chaining. The site (cleverly named) is a Tumblelog of thoughts, ideas, discoveries, etc. by Brant Herbert.

Brant, for those who do not know him, is a talented and skilled software developer amongst other things that I have had the pleasure and honor of knowing for many years. Give his site a look and if you like it, subscribe.

Brant, welcome, its about time!

I am not sure about you but I miss the days when wireless technology did not interrupt every conversation. I liked it when I could walk up to someone and have a chat with hardly any interruptions.

Unfortunately, today anyone might have a wireless device connected to their belt, hidden in a purse, stashed somewhere in their pockets, etc. It is like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off at any minute. When it comes alive, it causes the person you are chatting with to get that funny twitch in the eye, their trigger happy hand searching for the device, eager to pick it up.

Actually, it is not so much technology that I dislike but the manners people have. For example, when having a conversation with another person their wireless device might start ringing/vibrating. The type of behavior I expect is to quickly silence the device but, no, they hold up the index finger (signing that I should wait while they handle the interruption) and start the new conversation. Where is the respect? Was I not talking to you first? Have you heard of a clever technology called voice mail?

This situation does not confine itself to one-on-one situations. It happens at the movies, grocery store, at the gym, etc. Even conference rooms. Now, one would think that when you are in a professional environment that you would leave your wireless device either at your desk or turned completely off. Nope. There are countless times when I have been in a meeting and several of the attendees have cell phones ringing or vibrating one or more times during the session. Generally, these interruptions are not business related. My guess is that 7 out of 10 times, it is family and friends.

Have we become so trained, like Pavlov’s dogs, to immediately reach for the device as soon at it comes alive? Beckoning to its every call? Drug addicts in need of our next instant fix? I certainly hope not but it does seem to be a part of our culture now.

As for me, I leave my cell phone on vibrate. If I am having a conversation with someone and either the desk or cell phone rings, or my instant chat or e-mail pops up then I ignore it. It can wait until I have finished with who I am talking with first.

If you get that nervous twitch to answer your phone before we have finished our conversation…I’ll walk away and you can read about why I acted the way I did when you get an e-mail with a link to this posting.

Even the Gazette is reporting that we are being clobbered.

Here are a few pictures from where I am at:

I love it! Although, I’m sure there are some that will not share my enthusiasm.

OTI, stands for Object Technology Incorporated. It was a small software development company (approximately 300 people) that at one time spanned roughly five countries: Canada, United States, Switzerland, Australia, and the Netherlands. The company began it’s life by crafting Integrated Developer Environments (IDEs) for the SmallTalk programming language. Eventually it switched to the Java programming language and was later bought out by IBM and assimilated. OTI’s greatest claim to fame is probably the J9 technology which is now the IBM’s Java Virtual Machine (JVM) of choice.

While OTI no longer exists, it is nice being able to catch up on the activities of some of the people that I used to work with.

Technical support for her web page was provided by yours truly using WordPress.

• Beaver Creek
• Breckenridge
• Aspen
• Copper Mountain
• Steamboat
• Eldora
• Keystone
• Purgatory
• Telluride
• Vail
• Winter Park
• Crested Butte
• Wolf Creek

For complete info, check out the Colorado Ski Country web site.