tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30011397138878943182024-02-07T12:34:07.613-08:00Glass Cannon - a blog by Kevin J Higginspowerful content, fragile deliveryKevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-53700836678812817192011-10-24T21:08:00.001-07:002012-02-21T16:06:25.534-08:00Sarah A. Bowman, "The Great Western"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdCIhUxr7Ts397oMFrSZVDPycJp1GjZOF1mC9ygsvWypoCIJNVrIrQfP0DrAXGX7xTzpqNd-fzfMsPb7ruKTolZpx-FSEt6qvfBH43GgIt2wqXn67a53GxK9mUAlYz5scMzSz-LuGIXQ/s1600/2011-10-22_11-51-24_521.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667277776372481602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdCIhUxr7Ts397oMFrSZVDPycJp1GjZOF1mC9ygsvWypoCIJNVrIrQfP0DrAXGX7xTzpqNd-fzfMsPb7ruKTolZpx-FSEt6qvfBH43GgIt2wqXn67a53GxK9mUAlYz5scMzSz-LuGIXQ/s320/2011-10-22_11-51-24_521.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
On our trip this weekend in San Francisco I hunted down the inconspicuous grave of Sarah A. Bowman, also known as "The Great Northern."<br />
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This lady was a legend in her own time, a big woman (reportedly at least 6 feet tall) who was a fascinating character in US history - running brothels, nursing soldiers, and being a war hero.<br />
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I discovered a few months back she was buried in the Presidio in SF and made a point to find her grave.<br />
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A little about her: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_A._Bowman">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_A._Bowman</a>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-39486455110040263432011-07-26T08:58:00.000-07:002011-07-26T09:01:33.860-07:00Coremetrics Web Analytics - a workaround for channel funnel metricsThought I'd share a workaround in Coremetrics for viewing channels in the Session Funnel Report. <br /><br />Since I can trend full metrics in the Top Line Summary with a segment on them, I trended Tracked Sessions, Tracked Product Page Views, Carts Initiated, and Ordered Shopping Carts.<br /><br />I didn’t have a pure number for “Sessions that view a Product Page,” which would be the second step in the cart. BUT since I had total sessions and total product page views, I took the Page Views/Session # per week and multiplied it by the weekly Total Sessions to get an estimated number of Sessions with a Product View. <br /><br />Curious, intrawebs, does that seem credible to you?<br /><br />I then did a % of total Sessions for each cart step that followed (using the Carts initiated and Ordered Carts metrics).<br /><br />Gave me a rough views of metrics. Your mileage may vary!Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-2970413759826831102011-04-21T21:32:00.000-07:002011-04-21T21:54:12.992-07:00One week from the 2011 edition of the NFL draftOne week removed from the NFL Draft on April 28th, subdued though it may be this year by the lockout and labor talks that don't seem to be going anywhere. <br /><br />Three hugely gifted Bama players are sadly leaving the Tuscaloosa fold and joining some of my favorite college players of the past fews years in the NFL. <br /><br />Rolondo McClain is in RaiderNation, Mt Cody in Baltimore, Javier Arenas is in KC - so the question is where is Mark Ingram going to fall? <br /><br />This guy was the workhorse of the 2009 National Championship. He willed Bama to win. I'd like to see him slip to the 49ers in the second round, but for his good hopefully he will be a Tim Tebow-styled higher pick than expected.<br /><br />Marcell Dareus is another amazing young phenom who factored highly in the Bama championship - his interception return in the BCS title game garnered him the MVP. The dude is a stud, and just like Ingram - he has the drive to succeed. Cleveland Browns general manager Tom Heckert described Marcell as "relentless" and "a high, high motor guy who makes a ton of plays for a defensive tackle." Sad he won't be in Tuscaloosa this fall.<br /><br />Finally, Julio Jones, who is little short of being a superman. He played most of the year last year with a broken hand, <span style="font-style:italic;">and he catches balls.</span> He ran a 4.3 40 yard sprint with a hairline fracture of his foot (that he'd found out about 2 days prior). Julio might go to the Browns, to become the new face of their franchise. <br /><br />Bottom line is compare these three guys to Cam Newton who expects himself to transcend the QB role and to be a football icon. Really? John Gruden <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GqGLPh9PoY">humiliated him</a> and made him look underprepared. Gruden has since downplayed the clip saying Newton is the best of the QB class. Remains to be seen. If Carolina picks him, he could be the next Vince Young - a great talent whose ego could not handle the load of losing because he did not want to put the time in.<br /><br />You won't have those dedication questions on the Bama boys. Good on them. Proud to cheer for them.<br /><br />Roll tide roll.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-41394016398603679002011-03-30T16:54:00.000-07:002011-03-30T16:57:08.681-07:00Totaling up where I've livedWas amusing myself today on all the places in the US I've lived, and I'm not a military kid :)<br /><br />The list:<br />Jackson,TN<br />Tuscaloosa, AL<br />Kissimmee, FL<br />Orlando, FL<br />Greensboro, NC<br />Winston-Salem, NC<br />Raleigh, NC<br />Medford, OR<br />Ashland, OR<br />Park City, UT<br /><br />10 places so far, and a number of homes in each town. Been fun, but a bit of a wild ride.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-84023195549105994482010-01-12T13:27:00.000-08:002010-01-12T13:30:27.848-08:00Next stop for the Moveable Feast...Utah! We're backtracking a bit, geographically, to Park City, UT. <br /><br />Can't wait. <br /><br />Will be a great new job at <a href="http://backcountry.com">Backcountry.com</a> and a whole new world of outdoor adventures.<br /><br />Our route:<br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ashland,+OR&daddr=Portland,+OR+to:Boise,+ID+to:Park+City,+UT&hl=en&geocode=FW6ygwIdwsav-CmdwyPclmbHVDGt8S14uB87mw%3BFfyhtgIdERyw-CkndKl9CwuVVDGRhdH25rk2HA%3B%3B&mra=ls&sll=43.85529,-123.033385&sspn=5.885271,9.876709&ie=UTF8&ll=43.243245,-117.44455&spn=5.19435,11.8981&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=Ashland,+OR&daddr=Portland,+OR+to:Boise,+ID+to:Park+City,+UT&hl=en&geocode=FW6ygwIdwsav-CmdwyPclmbHVDGt8S14uB87mw%3BFfyhtgIdERyw-CkndKl9CwuVVDGRhdH25rk2HA%3B%3B&mra=ls&sll=43.85529,-123.033385&sspn=5.885271,9.876709&ie=UTF8&ll=43.243245,-117.44455&spn=5.19435,11.8981" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-66798175701793206392009-06-18T11:40:00.000-07:002009-06-18T11:52:55.310-07:00Google's Local Business CenterGoogle has added to <span style="font-style:italic;">Local </span>and has made a fantastic small business marketing tool even better. Google local is terribly underutilized even though it is really where a potential customer enters into the conversion funnel for a brick and mortar store. <br /><br />I assume Google is opening this additional analytics data so it can encourage small business owners to help develop their search results. It's a win for both - especially for the small business that needs to promote themselves with little advertising budget.<br /><br />For the small business owner you boost your keywords and content in the Google system, and then get more information in return on topics such as zip codes which are requesting the most driving directions to your location. Maybe that won't be a surprise...but maybe it will be if, for instance, in Ashland, OR you see many searches for your restaurant or hotel are coming from San Franciso. You can tailor a page or offer directly to SanFran customers using this knowledge. Make it easy for them - as in: "Driving from San Francisco? We're easy to find, and we'll help with the vacation expenses...as for our 10% discount"<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hjeCmHwqVpU&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hjeCmHwqVpU&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-6155370680748269722009-06-09T07:34:00.000-07:002009-06-09T07:38:28.568-07:00on my way into work...I drove past a trailer park and saw a lady standing outside of it, holding a sign pointing toward where people would be coming out of McDonalds and Dutch Brothers. She had wet hair which looked like it was partially blow-dried and was dressed in a purple sweatshirt with black slacks.<br /><br />I thought to myself that she got up this morning in a worn out trailer (all of them are in that park). When she awoke she knew she had to go out there and hold up a sign asking for help. She had to take a shower and think about that, blow dry her hair and get dressed thinking she would soon be standing out there – probably seeing people she knows while she holds up a sign for help from people going to McDonalds and getting coffee. <br /><br />That would be so hard for me in so many ways, so embarrassing honestly and so hard on my pride. I don't think I could do it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">That </span>compared to me dealing with this petty stuff that make my daily grind (“reporting and accuracy!”) made me feel pretty pathetic to be feeling sorry for myself about my job and where it seems to be going. <br /><br />It's all about your perspective in life, right? <br /><br />There are plenty of others far less fortunate. Be thankful for everything you have, while realizing it will eventually fade away. Live in the moment now - while you still can - and help those around you. <br /><br />That, I believe, is the secret to life.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-12537376814670429192009-05-28T11:57:00.001-07:002009-05-28T12:07:34.770-07:00Hulu. *sigh* I heart you.Hulu's added more functionality to the gold-standard of online video. Now if I only had a TV with HDMI input to connect my laptop to.<br /><br />The more I've used Hulu the more I realized that it completely absolves me of cable TV and that irritating $50/mo for crap I never watch. While American might avg 29 hours a week of viewing we watch more like 3-4 of network TV. So Hulu is the perfect solution for easy, low commercial watching of my fav shows.<br /><br />This desktop solution makes it even more attractive. Nice work guys!<br /><a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/74775/hulu-how-tos-hulu-desktop-overview"><br />http://www.hulu.com/watch/74775/hulu-how-tos-hulu-desktop-overview</a>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-43886180638672775032009-05-27T13:31:00.001-07:002009-05-27T13:42:25.254-07:00James Harrison is officially a thugReason I despise James Harrison (the NFL player/celebrity, I guess I honestly can't speak for him personally):<br /><br />(1) Super Bowl <a href="http://www.pronewsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/james-harrison.gif">shove</a><br />(2) <a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cnnsi-2009_ross_tucker_05_22_harrison-mail&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns">Refused</a> to go with the Steelers to the White House<br />(3) Is responsible for more bad <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4209028">press</a> on my beloved pit bulls<br /><br />Harrison is apparently the worst the NFL has to offer - a poor sport and a violent person who begets violence on those around him. He kept a dog (and any dog can be this way) in a pen and had raised it to be violent - he was aware it was that way and didn't seek help for it. The burden is on him, not on the animal he was responsible for.<br /><br />Additionally, if you really want to be saddened by humanity, read ESPN <a href="http://myespn.go.com/s/conversations/show/story/4209028">comments </a> sometimes. <br /> - one of the worst highlights "We should kill all pit bulls"<br /><br />Sad that someone would actually even type that - we should kill animals whose behavior we're responsible for. Additionally that the commenter was quick to stereotype all animals of a breed, especially when Cocker Spaniels account for far more bites every year.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-24352957559399732172009-05-27T12:58:00.001-07:002009-05-27T13:30:47.329-07:00second camping trip of the seasonHad a great time camping over the weekend at <a href="http://www.reserveamerica.com/campgroundDetails.do?subTabIndex=0&contractCode=ca&parkCode=deln">Mill Creek Campground</a> in the Redwoods. We stayed on site 43, which has fantastic seclusion. <br /><br />I'd suggest 39, 41, and 42 - in that order - for future use. 39 has perfect creek access and sun, while 41 is less sunny, but has great access. 42 is a one-day only site. 43 is great, too but had no creek access.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-6109631321698983732009-03-18T21:13:00.001-07:002009-03-18T21:14:21.517-07:00zoinksoh look everyone! it's my lonely lil blog. Methinks I don't have much to say since I'm never here.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-38139384745862568352009-02-28T19:22:00.001-08:002009-02-28T19:22:48.891-08:00Slumdog MillionaireBetter movies than Slumdog Millionaire, on the same subject:<br /><br />City of God: <br />http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/cityofgod/<br />Born into Brothels: http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/bornintobrothels/<br />Chop Shop:<br />http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/chopshop<br />Shelter:<br />http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/shelter?q=shelter<br /><br />City of God and Chop Shop were, imo, far better.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-78241417011706617662009-01-29T22:26:00.001-08:002009-01-29T22:26:53.354-08:00new laptopTyping from the new laptop tonight. finally got it in shape and ready to go...Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-26301135688935551052009-01-07T16:25:00.000-08:002009-01-07T16:32:44.518-08:00widgets and TV...what's not to loveSamsung announced widget enhanced TV. Love the idea. Gives you the ability to add personalized widgets to your broadcast. Yes, it could make us all even more ADHD, but it also could add additional content to football (leaders in stats), weather updates for morning TV, and maybe someday additional interactivity like quick polls, etc.<br /><br />http://snurl.com/9lxea [www_engadgethd_com]Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-81927222683094943472009-01-02T13:38:00.000-08:002009-01-02T13:53:19.164-08:00Squeezebox DuetThere are a few electronic things, that when unveiled, you say to yourself "<span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> <strike>would be perfect for the batcave</strike> <span style="font-style: italic;">is a must have</span>."<br /><br />Sonos could never bring their excessively expensive richboy toy down to my level so I bought the Squeezebox Duet instead. Since I've foregone the requisite HDTV and don't have cable, I am now using Hulu and Netflix instant downloads for my entertainment and had hoped for Squeezebox to fill in the gaps.<br /><br />I couldn't be more happy. It's a love affair now.<br /><br />Things I love about it:<br /><br />I've got 15 podcasts in it, ready to play whenever I feel like it: KEXP song of the day, NPR's numerous excellent podcasts, The Instance (for the WoW nerd in me), Writer's Almanac, Writers on Writing (for my wife really), several fly fishing podcasts, and several How Stuff Works podcasts including "What you missed in history class"<br /><br />Pandora, built in. I have extremely random music moods and pandora suits me - from Dwight Yoakam radio to Thievery Corporation, it's all there and easy to use.<br /><br />ALL my music, now available at a whim. 30GBs and growing...<br /><br />Highly recommend this to anyone, and plus it comes with fun mp3s to harass your dog with, like a rooster crowing: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCrXflpPIhE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCrXflpPIhE</a>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-87809746694863056072009-01-02T13:18:00.000-08:002009-01-02T13:19:04.233-08:00resoution #1Write more. In any form, on any format.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-75593029846305993202008-11-13T23:15:00.002-08:002008-11-13T23:34:03.606-08:00Our routeHere's where the wagon trains are heading starting Saturday Nov 14, 2008 morning:<br /><br /><iframe marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=raleigh&daddr=Jackson,+Tennessee+to:Lincoln,+NE+to:1900+W+North+Temple,+Salt+Lake+City,+UT+84116+to:South+Lake+Tahoe,+CA+to:1476+Poplar+Dr,+Medford,+OR+97504&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=38.651198,-99.316406&sspn=25.454572,56.953125&ie=UTF8&ll=38.68551,-99.448242&spn=6.81201,44.23188&t=p&output=embed&s=AARTsJrpzOgPSX63uxMOmnkreaZhRyH8-g" frameborder="0" width="425" scrolling="no" height="350"></iframe><br /><small><a style="COLOR: #0000ff; TEXT-ALIGN: left" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=raleigh&daddr=Jackson,+Tennessee+to:Lincoln,+NE+to:1900+W+North+Temple,+Salt+Lake+City,+UT+84116+to:South+Lake+Tahoe,+CA+to:1476+Poplar+Dr,+Medford,+OR+97504&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=38.651198,-99.316406&sspn=25.454572,56.953125&ie=UTF8&ll=38.68551,-99.448242&spn=6.81201,44.23188&t=p&source=embed">View Larger Map</a></small>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-24525549546409039332008-11-13T23:01:00.003-08:002008-11-13T23:34:23.701-08:00Plane ride east, wagons westTomorrow I'm finally heading back to Raleigh and seeing Sarah again. It's been WAY too long. Painfully long. 6 weeks.<br /><br />Southern Oregon is beautiful. No debating that.<br /><br />It's also a new world for me in terms of demographics - VERY white and strange. Strange in a way I don't yet understand enough to explain sufficiently. Best way I can is by listing things I've noticed:<br /><br /><ol><li>mansions next to trailers</li><li>house trailers for sale for $17,000 on the same street as $400,000 homes - wtF?</li><li>trashy places - from gross(!) grocery stores to houses that I'm surprised can be loaned on</li><li><em>not</em> suburbia in the southern sense. I'd gotten used to new places, shiny stores, starbucks, and construction, but not so much here. Most places were built 10 or more years ago and show it</li><li>VERY Haves and REALLY don't have-nots. Metros and Bugatis sharing the road. It's as if upper middle class does not exist - only lower middle/lower income and upper class</li><li>a latent "green" spirit - people here from every socio-econommic level care about the enironment and can talk about it. that's incredibly different from east coast</li><li>love of wine - the layman here knows more about wine than most any southerner</li><li>lots of outdoorsy people</li><li>lots of guys with strange beards. Is it the mountains that makes you want to look like you're into building bombs in a shed?</li><li>Chains! I had not thought of putting chains on tires since I was @8. Here its a way of winter life.</li><li>hilariously boring news - no surprise, welcome to a small town</li><li>LOTS AND LOTS of organic food at the grocery, and lots of bulk food items</li></ol><p>Anyways, thats enough for now. Will be posting images this week of the drive which starts tomorrow. </p>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-6173035372304965592008-09-16T19:23:00.004-07:002008-09-16T19:39:45.920-07:00sad. too sad to speak much of.<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:qRzykRadOEMJ::www.hedweb.com/animimag/piglet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 234px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:qRzykRadOEMJ::www.hedweb.com/animimag/piglet.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>I stopped eating pork almost 2 years ago.<br /><br />I LOVED German sausage and sausage in foods like wedding soup. My friends in Florida actually used to give me a hard time about how much I loved summer sausage.<br /><br />That was until I moved to North Carolina.<br /><br />This land of God-fearing, religious people in the Bible Belt has piglet trucks that track back and forth across the state from breeders to slaughterhouses.<br /><br />These are 18 wheelers stuffed with baby piglets (like Babe) who are crammed in so tight that their legs, tails, and noses stick out the side of the trailers. I started crying one day when I looked over at the truck which was passing me and saw all the cute piglets stuffed therein.<br /><br />I won't be a part of it. I won't pretend I don't know it happens. In seeing those piglets I knew I could not in good faith eat pork again.<br /><br />CNN has a story up about another factory farm and abuse. Why can't American's face the truth about the meat on their tables and being served them in restaurants?<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/16/abused.pigs.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview"><br />http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/16/abused.pigs.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview</a><br /><br />Several excerpts:<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">At one point on the video, an employee shouts to an investigator, "Hurt 'em! There's nobody works for PETA out here. You know who PETA is?"</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">"I hate them. These [expletives] deserve to be hurt. Hurt, I say!," the employee yells as he hits a sow with a metal rod. "Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! ... Take out your frustrations on 'em." He encourages the investigator to pretend that one of the pigs scared off a voluptuous and willing 17- or 18-year-old girl, and then beat the pig for it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">At one point in the video, workers are shown slamming piglets on the ground, a practice designed to instantly kill those baby pigs that aren't healthy enough. But on the video, the piglets are not killed instantly, and in a bloodied pile, some piglets can be seen wiggling vainly. The video also shows piglets being castrated, and having their tails cut off, without anesthesia.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">"</span></div>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-14271744404554573892008-07-28T09:53:00.004-07:002008-07-28T10:00:13.750-07:00Why The Dark Knight was disappointingBecause I'm too lazy to retype this, here's my reasoning (from an IM with a friend):<br /><br />[12:49] leetanker: you didnt like the dark knight?<br />[12:49] leetanker: WAH?<br />[12:49] leetanker: ARE YOU MAD?<br />[12:49] reallygreengiant: yeah I am. squandered.<br />[12:49] leetanker: i havent seen it yet, but i hear it rules<br />[12:50] reallygreengiant: 1) not enough of the Joker at the end<br />[12:50] reallygreengiant: 2) 3 villains - story moved too fast<br />[12:50] reallygreengiant: 3) why have stupid CSI scenes??<br />[12:51] reallygreengiant: 4) Why spend so much time on cellhpone/sonar tricks instead of us just watching batman do it??<br />[12:51] reallygreengiant: 5) Where was Batman's sadness at his loss??<br />[12:51] reallygreengiant: all in all, they did too much and should have focused on Joker v. Batman<br />[12:51] reallygreengiant: VERY disappointing<br />[12:51] leetanker: considering we arent going to see the joker again...<br />[12:51] reallygreengiant: and I am the only person in America who thinks this apparently<br />[12:51] reallygreengiant: lol<br />[12:52] leetanker: i hear ledger is gonna win an oscar for that<br />[12:52] reallygreengiant: joker was awesome, but not oscar worth - shit - he wasnt on camera enough!<br />[12:52] reallygreengiant: he might have been on camera a total of 30 mins<br />[12:52] leetanker: the guy died<br />[12:52] reallygreengiant: during shooting, I thought it was in pos production<br />[12:52] leetanker: cause he was so freaking wierded out by it<br />[12:52] leetanker: yeah, it was<br />[12:53] reallygreengiant: he died mixing too many presciprtion drugs. woops. sucks.<br />[12:53] leetanker: yeah, i blame the joker<br />[12:53] reallygreengiant: that's the tradegy - he was great, but they didnt utilize him enough!!!<br />[12:53] reallygreengiant: he wasn't on camera the last 30 mins<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The recap and reasoning for my extreme disappointment in The Dark Knight:</span><br />1) not enough of the Joker at the end - not enough Joker at all<br />2) 3 villains - story moved too fast<br />3) why have stupid CSI scenes??<br />4) Why spend so much time on cellhpone/sonar tricks instead of us just watching batman do it?? We know Batman is full of cool tricks and can assume that stuff.<br />5) Where was Batman's sadness at his loss?? He mourned for 30 seconds<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Main point:</span> Heath was great - so why not focus on Batman vs Joker and let Heath get some screen time! Shame on you Chris Nolan. Do one story and do it superbly, and leave out Two Face, Scarecrow, and the CSI.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-5908417799787256232008-04-28T08:36:00.002-07:002008-04-28T08:37:20.747-07:00Kart's as good as the old daysThis generation's Mario Kart is every bit as good as the N64 benchmark. As soon as I stop playing it I'll write more...Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-47256346536612189772008-04-25T19:40:00.003-07:002008-04-26T06:43:49.689-07:00Two days to Kart timeCannot wait for Sunday and Mario Kart, Wii-style. I've been a fan since the N64 and the new version will be solid, no doubt.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-42029093769508358552008-03-28T11:33:00.004-07:002008-03-28T11:37:46.031-07:00GTA IV and music salesMy God this is cool. In game advertising done right, with consumer input and using the consumer's (gamer's) own interest to drive sales. THIS IS ONLINE SALES done right. Rockstar is a real trendsetter, as always. Hopefully the internet connectivity won't let this down.<br /><br />From EvilAvatar.com:<br /><a href="http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/grand-theft-auto-iv/gta-iv-unveils-new-music-download-model/1199430" target="_blank">Yahoo!</a> is reporting that Rockstar and Amazon are teaming up to offer ZiT, a music download service specifically created for Grand Theft Auto IV.<br /><br /><blockquote> <hr /> In a partnership bound to shake, rattle and roll both the music biz and interactive entertainment, Rockstar Games and Amazon have teamed up to create an ambitious new model for digital music distribution. Built exclusively for the upcoming video game blockbuster Grand Theft Auto IV, it allows players to buy real-world MP3s of tracks heard over the game's numerous radio stations in a very seamless manner. (Initially, this service will only be available in the U.S.)<br /><br />Advertised throughout Liberty City, the cheekily-named "ZiT" technology is built into the game's mobile phone interface system. As players cruise around the world listening to the in-game radio, they can at any point 'mark' a song by opening their phone and dialing the number ZIT-555-0100. Gamers will then receive a text message with the song and artist names, and if they're registered at the forthcoming Rockstar Games Social Club community site, they'll find an e-mail waiting in their inbox with a direct link to a custom playlist on Amazon.com. All songs tagged "ZiT" will be stored here, available for preview and purchase at Amazon's going rate of $.89-$.99 per track. Best of all, those MP3s are free of the Digital Rights Management (DRM) limitations imposed on files downloaded through Apple's iTunes store and thus can be imported into any computer or digital device with no constraints. </blockquote>Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-18837096608305535102008-03-19T08:15:00.003-07:002008-03-19T08:27:06.232-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dumpt.com/img/files/e9rkqv5egu1i1v1ysqlc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.dumpt.com/img/files/e9rkqv5egu1i1v1ysqlc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Awesome.Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001139713887894318.post-78647540805136134382008-03-18T18:02:00.003-07:002008-03-18T18:11:35.687-07:00Next-Gen's fantastic review of Feb NPD numbersWas bored out of my gourd today in a meeting one part in which I had no part and took the time to read through <a href="http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9602&Itemid=2">this fine piece of business analysis</a> at Next-Gen concerning current and future sales trends in the console business. I was enraptured and completely fascinated. As a old gamer and an admitted dork over the gaming industry (see my <a href="http://glasscannon.blogspot.com/2008/03/cheers-to-economist.html">Gygax post</a> for proof) it was great to read some real business numbers and analysis on how the big three are planning their year and what challenges they will face.<br /><br />I own a Wii but covet a 360, perhaps a PS3. With Grand Theft Auto IV coming out end of April I'll be watching closely to see if Sony or MS will come out with a new console SKU to promote themselves before this important release. I will end up buying one, but there are pros and cons of both - PS3 in potential and the blu-ray drive, 360 in current ability (game base), DLC for GTAIV, and the ability to be mp3 streaming from my home server.<br /><br />I'd better start saving now...Sarah won't be happy...and not to mention that Mario Kart Wii is coming out the same week - I don't know how I'll manage it all with my personal accountant :)Kevin J Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425706597471823384noreply@blogger.com0