LIVEdigitally

My first 20 years in the US were as a green card holder, so any time I received a juror summons, I was always able to check the convenient little “I’m some kind of hippie commie who’s stealing jobs from Americans” checkbox.  Now, as a law-abiding God-fearing AMERcan living in a nucular family, I’m out of excuses.  The weird part is, I really like the idea of serving jury duty.  I’d actually love to see the internal workings of a courtroom, get really into a case, debate the issues, and be part of the process.  It’s the pesky “carving out the time” part that’s a little problematic right now.

The good part is, the summons waiting room has WiFi. 
The bad parts are, it’s not free, it’s slow, and it drops connections every 10-ish minutes.

I’ll be here all day (unless I’m lucky enough to get called up soon and get eliminated), doing some work, maybe watching a little Slingbox, or, thanks to my friend Michael Gartenberg, playing Peggle (yes, I paid for it too - such a timesucker!).

UPDATE: time off for good behavior!  I’m outta here.

Around this time every year, a clever man named Jayson Wechter organizes the San Francisco Treasure Hunt.  And every time around this year, a much less clever man named Jeremy Toeman smacks himself in the head for missing out on the fabled event.  But 2007 saw a collision of fate so grand it was impossible to avoid.  The alignment of my birthday and the hunt on the exact same day! 

The first, and possibly most important, task was to come up with a name.  I went gunning to win:

The Jayson Wechter “I Never-Met-a-Pun-I Didn’t Like Award” is given to the teams with the cleverest names, which are often related to the year of the Chinese zodiac (2007 is the Year of the Boar).

And thus… Boarat: Treasureful Huntings of San Francisco for Make Benefit Glorious New Years of China.  Didn’t win.

Next up, the hunt itself.  Not sure when it went up (then down), but there was a Web page with some clues prior to the hunt.  To the right is a sample clue.  That was about the most obvious moment of the event (all my other photos of the event are online here). 

We met up at Justin Herman plaza, ready to psych up for the hunting, and amidst the 900-or-so people (here’s one account and another one here) became determined to finish in the top 5 percentile (for those of you who find that ambitious, keep in mind this means we really just didn’t want to be in the bottom 5).  A glance around at cleverly costumed teams and we felt a little, well, woozy.

Upon the beginnings of the hunt, we saw most teams grab a sitting place in the plaza or on a nearby table.  We naturally immediately set out for a nearby bar and ordered a couple of pitchers.  We did a little divide and conquer, and about 45 minutes later had all 19 of the clues “mostly solved” and a mapped out plan to find our answers.  Our first clue went off without a hitch, as did our second.  By number three, we hit the Chinatown Parade.  Luckily, we dashed under Market street to avoid the chaos, although got stuck a few more times (although the detour/pee break at the Westin was a nice moment).

Everything was going great through the first 7 or 8 clues.  We’d arrive in a location, quickly narrow down the specific target, jot down an answer, and be off like the wind within moments.  We’d play little games with other teams, making oddball references to nonexistent clues and other forms of misdirection, and our spirits were high.

Then we got stuck on one clue in North Beach.  Then, disaster struck as we made the ever-so-costly mistake of misinterpreting another clue and walking all the way up to Coit Tower.  Yes, all the way up.  We were tired.  Not enough hamantaschen to go around.  One of our flashlights was dying.  But we rallied nonetheless! 

We headed down the steps, toward the water and our next clue.  Within moments we were back on track, but were perilously low on time.  We did a little walk-jogging.  Two, three, then four more clues nailed within minutes.  Team Boarat was back on a roll, we were the virtual kings of our castles. 

With less than 10 minutes left to go, we made the ambitious move of going for two final clues.  One we got, the other we didn’t (we later found out we were less than a block away), and we ran back to Justin Herman plaza to submit our entries.  And with that, we knew we were winners. 

Not because we got the most right (We got 16 of 19).

Not because we were fastest (The winning team was done 40 minutes earlier.  Jerks.)

Not because we had kick-ass red buttons that said we we finished.

Why?

Because… Well…  Unlike some other teams, I get a clock radio, they cannot afford. Great success!

As I’ve posted before, I’m a big fan of the show Heroes, for many reasons.  One of the things I really like about it is that unlike Lost/Twin Peaks/XFiles, it’s a quirky show that doesn’t have a huge weird mystery that may or may not get resolved to my satisfaction.  It has a plotline, and it clearly has twists and turns, but should it end this season, I won’t be wondering what it’s all about forever.

Also, despite it being so semi-geeky a show, it’s captured the #1 slot for Mondays, and is one of NBC’s highest-rated shows.  But yet any time, day or night, that I turn on NBC, there it is, a preview for Heroes, chock full of suspenseful-looking spoiler-ridden clips.  And it’s driving me nuts.

See, I’ve got this little problem in that, if I see something in a preview, I tend to remember it the whole time I’m watching the show.  So if I see fire in the preview, I’m waiting for fire in the show.  Doesn’t matter how quick, I notice it.  I’m not exactly bragging here, by the way, that part of my brain could clearly be used for more important things, but I just can’t seem to turn it off.

So please, team NBC, I beg of you: stop with all the footage from the upcoming episodes.  You have a huge fan base, and based on the number of fan sites all over the ‘net, you aren’t losing us any time soon.  So how about you let us decide when we want to go find a spoiler, and when we don’t?  You have plenty of footage to continue to get new viewers without ruining it for the rest of us.

And by the way, this goes for your Web site too!  If I want spoilers, I’ll seek them out (probably here - warning, that link CONTAINS SPOILERS!).  It’s not like you’re trying to peddle us on a series based on “From Justin to Kelly” or something…

Just finished three days at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show, and I hope (pray) that I’m done with conferences for the year.  The show went great for Cocoa Designs (my wife’s chocolate business), and I had a couple of friendly drop-bys (no hop-ons though).  It’s actually a very fun show, especially in the last hour when virtually every booth is either giving away their supplies, or trading for other wares.  I walked away with oodles of oils, vinegars, jams (and jellies), crackers, chips, and a nice bottle of port. 

Funny coincidence #1: John Dvorak (yes, of PC Magazine fame) was walking the show with his camera.  We talked a little chocolate, but mostly tech.

Funny coincidence #2: I saw a guy walk by with the CES press bag and we chatted for a moment.  He informed me that rather than leave my bag (which I didn’t much care for - two zippers jammed during the show) in my hotel room, I could’ve sold it for upwards of $200!  Oops!

Funny coincidence #3: A woman staffing the booth next to ours actually spends much of her time in tech, working with a consumer electronics distributor.  We talked tech.

Funny coincidence #4: My CES tips were pretty valid for this show.  Ironically, I caught a cold.

Updated: first post said 2006.  that is how out of it I was!

The annual NASFT Fancy Food Show begins tomorrow at the San Francisco Moscone Center, and my wife’s chocolate company will be on display.  I managed to escape booth duty at CES this year, but no matter how hard I try to get out, it keeps pulling me back in.  It’s a fun show with lots of tasty treats to try out.  If anyone wants to stop by, look us up! 

Cocoa Designs. North Hall, Booth 302.

ps - I’ll bet nobody’s liveblogging this trade show!

While at CES and on a shuttle bus from the Las Vegas Convention Center to the Venetian Hotel, I looked out the window and saw them knocking the windows out of the Stardust Hotel. Naturally, I shot some video…

I’m heading on up to Lake Tahoe for the next few days with the wife and some friends.  While I’ll probably craft a few posts, they (almost definitely) won’t make it online while I’m gone.  We’re well-supplied, and I’ve got my Garmin Nuvi 350 just in case we need to find our way around.  We’ll be back on Wednesday.

And while I’m gone, please enjoy my favorite picture from my Hong Kong trip (yes, I know I owe a little traveler’s tales, but I’m busy!).  This was taken in a factory in China.  It should be obvious what they actually do in the room, but I like to think it’s where they write all the code for eHarmony or Match.com. 

Any other suggestions as to what occurs in there?

Sorry for the lack of posts past few days, been traveling and prepping for the most important day of the year: Thanksgiving 2006, or “the one where Jeremy smokes a whole turkey (and doesn’t get high).”  My beloved wife bought me a BBQ smoker for my birthday this past year, and I’m putting it to work tomorrow for gobble gobble time.I’ve read a few turkey smoking recipes although at the end of the day it comes down to these simple steps:

1. Brine the turkey (I generally go for a very simple brine myself - while I am certain that brining matters, I am uncertain that different brines have a major impact on the flavor) overnight.  I’d prefer a full 24 hours, but since my time machine is still on the fritz, I’m going with about 14.
2. Air-dry the turkey.  Again, this would ideally be almost a full day just resting in the fridge, but it’ll probably be a pat-down and about 2 hours at the most.
3. Rub the turkey.  Don’t be filthy people. I’m going to use roughly the same recipe I do for chickens, which is a spice mix combined with enough olive oil to give a paste-like consistency.  For my devoted readers, I happily provide JT’s Super-Mega-Awesome Chicken Rub Mix freely here:
   1 part Paprika
   1 part Chili powder
   1.5 parts Salt (I like to use both fine and coarse salts)
   1 part freshly ground Black pepper
   1 part cumin
   1 part dried oregano (can be substituted for another dry herb as you’d like)
   1/2 part sugar (or brown sugar)
   1/2 part onion powder
4. Smoke the sucker.  I’m using apple wood chunks.  I’ve read that about 25-35 minutes per pound is appropriate, so our bird should be good in about 5-6 hours.
5. Eat.
6. Drink.
7. Be Merry.
8. Fall asleep.

Click here for pictures from my cousin and I cooking a 25-pound bird a few years ago. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

This is a few years old, but makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. Watch and enjoy.

Last week I saw and reviewed Borat, and mused on which scenes were real or staged.  Turns out this is a fairly popular topic out there, and I’ve got a few quick updates:

• Pam Anderson scene: Probably staged (although not definitive).
• The prostitute: staged and is a known actress.
• Frat boys: real, and they are suing.  Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, boys.
• Rodeo scene: frighteningly real.  This article (from Salon) has a ton of in-depth commentary on the “is Borat staged?” topic, and was a great read.
• Dinner party. real, chock full o Southern hospitality, ‘Bama-style.
• Etiquette lesson. real, although apparently the teacher had her doubts.

Incidentally, for the least useful source of material on the topic, head on over to Yahoo! Answers.

Did all my research.  Walked less than three blocks.  Filled out the way-too-confusing ballot.  Done.Your turn.

PS - don’t forget the Polling Place project (two pix) and if you have a video-enabled phone, Veek your Vote!

Tomorrow, I’ll go to my local balloting place which is conveniently located 2 blocks from my apartment.  I’ll walk there with the “prep” ballot I’ve already put together, which I’ll carry mostly due to an increasingly poor short term memory (yes on 87).  And there I’ll likely meander through lines, fill out some form incorrectly, then eventually find a place to fill out my ballot.  I have a lot of confidence that I won’t accidentally follow the wrong dotted line, and I predict no hanging chads.

But that’s just our civic responsibility.  That’s what we’re supposed to do.  David Cohn over at NewAssignment (a new web site dedicated to citizen journalism) put together a list of how we can go above and beyond our basic responsibilities, and actually participate in the process.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

• Video The Vote is an organized effort, using camera phones and video, to cover any mishaps voters encounter this Tuesday.
• The The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism to capture, post and share photographs of democracy in action by documenting the local voting experience. NewAssignment.Net consulted on the project.
• Along with independent live blogging networks news organizations like the BBC, CNN and others are relying on citizen journalists to get full coverage of this years election. They can’t be everywhere, but we already are.

I’m bringing along my digital camera, and I look forward to doing my job as a citizen.  For newer readers, I only became a US citizen earlier this year, and I’m glad to have my chance to fulfill the commitment I made.  I hope you do as well.

Take a look at David’s list - it’s even in an easy-to-consume “Top 9″ format!

UPDATE: if you are one of the, say 95% of the mobile phone owners in this country whose phone is capable of storing or sharing video, take a look at the “Veek the Vote” service.  Read the comments below by Kemble and Rodger for more info, or skip that and just go check out the site.  Just be sure to vote tomorrow!