American Airlines arena

Post Heat game, outside the AA arena, the heat is still on at 10:30 at
night so we cruised South Beach afterwards.
 Russdogg ™

Miami trip Heats up

It was a long day of orientation today. For some reason it seemed a lot longer than it really was. Fortunately tonight was our team event where
we all got to go out as a group for a night on the town.

First we checked out Gloria Estevan's restaurant/club Bongos,which was a Cuban cuisine with a big open dance floor. Right after that we walked to the American Airlines center to watch the Miami Heat play the Denver Nuggets.
Sure the seats were way up there, but we had a blast regardless. Miami ended up losing and Shaq didn't even play but we didn't care. Finally we hit up South Beach and checked out a high-class club, but it was a little too high class for us and we ended out walking the strip, seeing the Versace mansion, then checking out the beach at midnight. It was crazy but really cool at the same time.  Russdogg ™

Awesome hotel, even better job...

I got in pretty late last night to Miami. Actually, it was only about 7:30 california time, but it was 10:30 east coast. Which was not cool because I was hungry! Nothing was open and I was sooo tempted to eat from the minibar. The 4 dollar cost for a bag of M&Ms was enough to curb the hunger pangs though. By the time I got to sleep at 2:30 AM, I only had about 4 and a half hours of sleep. Luckily my room is awesome. 14th floor suite with a king-size bed, ceiling to floor windows, kitchen, two bathrooms and a jet tub.

First day of the training session was very cool. We basically are being
indoctrinated in the company culture, which is very cool and goes with
my style perfectly.
 Russdogg ™

Flying can of sardines...

Got to the airport to find a line of 200 + people waiting in front of
me. Luckily someone pointed out another skycap way down the way also for
american airlines, so I hustled down there and had my bag checked in
right away. Now I,m packed in the middle of a miami-bound 747. I
always, and I mean always fly window seat so how I got dead center of
the plane is beyond me... it'll definitely be an interesting 5 hours.

 Russdogg ™

The Game graces the cover of the L.A Times

With just days remaining till the release of The Doctor's Advocate,
Compton rapper Jayceon "the game" taylor is everywhere, from Connecticut
radio stations to conventions to Letterman and the L.A times. Only time
will tell if he sells more than his last album.
 Russdogg ™

Kings Kabob is my guilty pleasure

Kings kabob is the best/worst thing to happen to me since living in L.A.
The food is so so good but I am definitely going to miss it when I start
work in Santa Monica!
--russdogg

Writely officially becomes Google docs

Well, my favorite online word processor, Writely, has finally made the transition to a full-on Google application. Earlier this year they were bought out by the big G, but it wasn't until late last night that it went offline and came back as Google docs. Basically, its the same as a basic version of Microsoft Word, but all your files are stored online. You can access them from anywhere, export them as a Word file, PDF, text file, or even an html web page. All for free.

The best feature? the ability to have multiple contributors to any file. I tested this out with my sister this morning while working on my resume. I just added her email address as a contributor and it was added to her documents list. Once she got on, a little indicator popped up on the bottom to tell me she was working on it at the same time. When ever she made an edit, about three seconds later it showed up on my screen. Theres a refresh button on the bottom too, just in case you need the latest version, to the second ;) As a plus, Google also put up a link to their Excel clone, Google spreadsheets. Google is taking over!

Video Downloader to Youtube: "Yoink!!"

As a Flash designer, I've always been interested in video on websites. It always seems to be a problem with not having the right video plug-in, or the wrong browser to view it, etc. By creating a video player in Flash, you can skip the plug-in and browser issues and have the video right on your page. Of course you still need content. Enter Videodownloader. Videodownloader is the easiest way to "borrow" videos from popular websites like Youtube. It's an extension for the Firefox browser, and when you have a video on your page, just click the button and it starts to download.

Gangs of London demo not vaporware?

I signed up for the free Gangs of London demo on the off-handed chance that Sony might actually follow through with a promise, but I wasn't betting my savings on it (or even the $1.50 for my daily Diet Pepsi). So I was a little suprised to see it show up in the mailbox. Upon closer inspection, I see that it came from Santa Monica, which is only like 10 minutes from here.


If you ever played The Getaway games, the gameplay will look really familiar.

Luckily the controls aren't quite so wonky. Its like a cross between the getaway and the Grand Theft Auto series. The good news is it only takes a coupe minutes to learn the controls. The bad news is the demo is only a couple minutes long. You'd think if they went through all the trouble to press these demo discs, they'd at least last long enough to help you decide if you want to buy it or not. The Loco Roco demo (which was a free download) was an entire level of gameplay. Enough to get you hooked to a game where most levels are pretty similar. This game obviously has a lot of potential, but they barely get into anything on the demo. Still reserving my judgement until it's released.

Let the dog out!

It is seriously a disgrace how Duane "Dog" Chapman has been treated by the American Government.

You can help by signing his petition , giving some money to his defense fund, or visit his site on A&E to get a little more informed. At last check, there were about 45,000 signatures on the petition. Keep em coming!

Can the boys in gold dodge a bullet this season ?

Sports Illustrated has Joey Porter on the cover this month and asks, "Do the Steelers have what it takes to make another Super Bowl run? I've been a Pittsburgh fan since I was in junior high, so don't get it twisted when I say their chances are getting slim. Most haters say last year's win was a fluke, but I disagree.
It was an excellent combination of good players, tenacity, a few trick plays and some good calls in our favor tht gave them the ring; and really, when isn't that the case? But with Jerome Bettis retired, Antwaan Randle El gone due to his free-agent status, and Big Ben not playing up to par in the pre-season after his motorcycle injury and now getting his appendix out, the outlook to another superbowl sort of grim. I'm still hoping they can do it, but unless A.) Big Ben really gets back into the game and excels and B.) Porter keeps up his game onslaught all season, then the odds are definitely against them.

Mel's creative genius continues with his next masterpiece

Mel Gibson, world reknowned actor extrordinaire and star of such classics like Bird On A Wire, Maverick, the Chili Con Carne Club, and (of course) What Women Want, has traded in his comedy/tragedy masks for a silky pair of puffy director's pants. His latest masterpiece, Apocalypto, is currently in the works - and not a moment to soon I might add. After his recent alchohol-fueled, Semetic loving-challenged tirade, the King of Malibu Rum needs a little redemption. The question remains, If Mel made the Passions and then it came out that he hated Jews, does this South American epic spell out Mel's unspoken hatred of Mayans? In my unbiased professional opinion, yes. When the end comes, can Mel outrun his fate?