snoopy cache

I'm switching to blogger. Here's the new URL:

http://snoopycache.blogspot.com

Update your feeds if you're interested! I've got 3 posts in the works (new blog, road trip, new life).

Peaceout.

Near the beginning of our epic road trip, I had the bright idea to photograph all the "Obama" and "McCain" bumper stickers we passed along the way. I was excited about geotagging them, and maybe doing other interesting things with the data, like correlating car brands, state-of-license-plate, etc. Unfortunately, this project was a massive failure. In the 1,800+ miles that we've driven between San Fransico to Dallas (I had the idea on day 2 of the trip, in SF), I have seen only four campaign bumper stickers! Needless to say, this makes a very underwhelming photo collage. On the plus side, all 4 were Obama bumper stickers. One in California, one in Arizona (with Cali plates), and two in Dallas (within 5 miles of each other). What gives?

Dear people: please care about this election. If not through bumper stickers, then hopefully through something else.

In other news, we managed to stop just east of Hurricane Ike, who's really wreaking havoc on Texas this weekend. My last 24 hours have been filled with:

a) concern for the victims of the hurricane
b) admiration for America and Americans
c) panic about the upcoming election (read: OMG SARAH PALIN SUX)

We're shooting for a 9/18 arrival in DC. Peace.

Stop the presses! We're not actually moving in mid-June. We decided to postpone the road trip until later this summer (in hopes that gas prices might fall below $1MM/gallon). G and I will, however, be in DC/Maryland from June 22nd - July 2nd. And I'll be in NYC from June 19th - 22nd. Holla if you'll be around and available for some adventures.

So anyway we'll be back in Seattle for the 4th of July Weekend. It better not be cold, or I might lose my shit.

Since its Memorial Day, I'm feeling a bit patriotic. Though we are not quite sure when/how we are moving, I'm hoping it will happen sometime in mid/late June, and if we have enough time, I'd love to drive and see some parts of this gorgeous country that I haven't visited before. Check out the rough itinerary I've plotted! 

White dots indicate stops that we definitely want to make. We'll probably need to stop between San Fransisco and the Grand Canyon (maybe Ojai or Vegas?), and then again between GC and Dallas (Santa Fe or Amarillo?). I think we'll spend a couple of days at the Grand Canyon, so if anyone would like to fly out and join us for a Vegas/Grand Canyon adventure, that would be awesome! Let me know your availability, I am tentatively hoping for around the 20th.

OK. This is the second time I'm writing this post, since LJ ate it the first time. So I'll leave it at that.  Suggestions on the above plan are welcome.

Happy Memorial Day!

P.S. turns out you can't embed a Google Map in livejournal....I think it might be almost time for a platform switch...

Alright, I've got some stuff that I can't stand not to share.

I've had my socks knocked off by two new artists:

Wale



Be sure to download his free mixtape. If you like hip-hop, you probably won't be disappointed (and if you don't, you'll probably be largely disappointed, but may enjoy some of the mashups - lily allen, amy winehouse, etc.).

Estelle

Thanks to Ann for introducing me to Estelle. I've got her on the ringtone right now, and i usually let it ring for a bit too long, just to shake my ass for 5 extra seconds. Watch this video and tell me you don't love her:




Here's an interesting photoblog of families around the world posing with 1 week of groceries. Aside from the information and aesthetic value of this article, it reminds me that I've almost completely stopped grocery shopping due to the house-on-the-market thing. I'm either starving or eating really unhealthy foods. Whachagonnado - its part of the real estate game. The other day, I cooked some bacon in the microwave, and the whole kitchen smelled like bacon for like a day. WHAT IF A VEGAN CAME BY AND WANTED TO BUY THE HOUSE. God forbid.

[Update: Since I drafted this post, I took control of my family's eating life. Big up to Amazon Fresh for removing all barriers and getting me back in the game.]



Oh, and as responsible, aware individuals, I assume you've all donated to a Myanmar Disaster Relief Fund of choice already, but if you haven't here's your friendly reminder! (like how I did that right there? yeah, i know how to pull at your guilt-strings...) If you need a suggestion to get the ball rolling, I support Portland-based Mercy Corps.

I went to the gym at midnight today. I thought the gym would be either completely empty, or have really insane-looking people at it. Neither was true. In fact, there were several reasonable-looking people there, including one person that I used to work with at Expedia (though we both pretended not to see each other - I imagine that anyone who goes to the gym at midnight has no desire to interact with anyone else). And I rarely had to wait for a machine. And I could wander around as much as I wanted deciding what to do without either feeling like I was a) being judged or b) running into sweaty people.

All in all, the experience was excellent. I finally utilized the namesake feature of "24-hour Fitness." The downsides were that I had to drive the short distance to the gym (because I don't think its a good idea to walk around alone in the middle of the night), and there was nothing good on TV.

So there you have it. Shoes, instant oatmeal, midnight gym visits.

I am making an effort to put on shoes at least once per day. In fact, I think I am going to start wearing shoes while I work sometimes. I think that will make me feel less like a slob and more like a productive member of society.

I love shoes! And I hate socks! And lately, since its gotten cooler, I've been wearing socks a lot, and no shoes. That's ass-backwards.

In other news, I have started eating instant oatmeal instead of having the regular oatmeal explode all over my microwave every day.

What a fascinating life I lead. Don't you all wish I posted more often?

Its time for our big YouTube debut! Last saturday, Ann, Gautam and I spent the evening learning how to Crank Dat Soulja Boy (I'm not linking that because if you don't know what that is, get your head out of your ass and turn on a radio). Here's the finished product:

A colleague recently expressed concern that we don't have the moxie to run a hip-hop community. Not sure whether this works for or against us on that front.

Anyway, after our 3 hour practice session, Justin, Marques, Casey, Tim and Matt joined us. Some were even dressed up from Ming's "skirt and stache party" from earlier that night. Brace yourself (and be warned, this video is PG-13 for several unsettling reasons):



Now go wash your eyes out with soap. I know I want to.

OK here's a round-up of a few things I want to share.

1) I went to this show last night:


It was probably one of the greatest things I've seen in a long time. It was put on by the youth of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. It was a summer teen production, and the kids were both super-talented and super-cute. The Cinderella story was adapted to be modern, funny, and very entertaining. The motown singing was very impressive. Its $10, and runs through Sunday. I HIGHLY recommend you check it out if you're around.



2) I got a haircut. I hated it for the first two days and got very very sad. But then today I washed it and styled it myself, and its finally growing on me. The side view is the worst, so I won't post it. Here's a before/after:

BEFORE	AFTER

3) A friend of mine, David, is biking in the Portland Livestrong Challenge bicycle race in September. He's collecting sponsorships, and I'd really like to help him reach his goal! If fighting cancer is on the list of causes you support, please help him out:

Q. Dear Divya: You seem to spend a lot of time "working" lately. How do you feel about working so much? What exactly do you do all day? How much longer do you want to keep working on Jamglue?

A. Dear fanclub. Thanks for the excellent question! I would love to give you some insight into my daily routine, and my current feelings on it!

In answer to your first question, I can say that for the first time ever, my job does not feel like a job. Granted I invented this job out of thin air, so it is to be expected that I find it to be perfectly suited to my skill set. That said, I had always thought that even at the best job ever, I would still rather be not working than working. I'm no longer sure if that's true, because as I mentioned above, work does not feel like work, so I'm not really sure when I am working, and therefore have no idea as to whether or not I prefer work or not-work.

So what do I do all day? Short answer: get people hyped about Jamglue, and make sure they stay that way. This includes everyone from a managing partner at a major record label, to a 15-year-old from Manitoba who's freestyling on his home PC; from the guy who writes for Wired Magazine to the high school music teacher who wants to use our tools in his classroom. From some of our partner companies who want to be a part of our exciting growth, to potential investors who still need to be convinced of it. From our fantastic advisors who've done this before, to the smart, enthusiastic guy down the street that says "I love what you're doing, let me know how I can help."

I spend my days listening to music, talking about music, and feeling the incredible energy surrounding today's pop music. I see a whole generation of kids who love hip-hop so much that it hurts, and will do anything to be able to participate in the process. They may want to just add the sounds of breaking glass to T-Pain's hot single Bartender, or they may mute R. Kelly's vocals and lay down their own verses for "I'm a Flirt":

Either way, by making their little contribution, these kids took a piece of music and made it their own. T-Pain and R. Kelly just acquired some die-hard fans for life, and in the process, enabled some kid in Richmond VA to be an artist. I spend my days making sure that can happen over and over and over again.

So what does that mean I actually do? I communicate like it's going out of style: e-mails, private messages and public comments on Jamglue, MySpace messages, phone meetings, presentations, and meetings at coffee shops. I respond to feedback and support e-mails (unless it's a super-technical issue, and then I let Gautam and Casey, the technical heavyweights, deal with those). I put together summaries and presentations for people that want to know more about what's going on. I update the Jamglue Blog to tell our fans what's up. I keep my ear to the ground for opportunities to promote our site and Remix Contests, both on the street and on the internets, and coordinate efforts to make it happen. I work with our designer on our branding and message. I design, order, and distribute our T-shirts and other promotional stuff. I also do my best to support Gautam and Casey in their endeavors to make our site better by helping with testing, UI feedback, and copywriting; in reality, though, they're so damn good that they don't really need me, so I end up just nagging them until they start ignoring me (which I know, is very productive).

So that's what I've got. How much longer do I want to do this? Hopefully forever. As we were reminded in Office Space, you're supposed to pick your job based on what you would do if you already had a million dollars, right? (other than two chicks at the same time, of course):


I think my answer would be "chat on the internet and listen to hip-hop." Turns out that IS a real job! And nobody's gonna take it away from me without a goddamn vicious fight.

I spent way too much time this afternoon creating a Meez. It doesn't really look like me (or Mii), and I had to ditch the Space Needle background because it cost "10 coins" which I apparently do not have. On the plus side, I was able to find an accurate outfit.



click the picture if you want to create your own. um...and when you go to save yours, if you say that i refered you, i get some "coins" and then maybe i can buy a space needle.

UPDATE: I earned enough MEEZ COINS from your referrals that I got to add the space needle! wooo. Thanks, you guys are the best.

As inspired by my friend qwickening's blog, I am posting my running route, because it is pretty much the best possible running route, and everyone should know about it. What makes it so great? Well, I hate running on hills, and in this route, the parts I run are relatively flat. Plus it involves an enormous staircase (from Lakeview to 10th) that makes me sort of want to die, but that's what running is all about, right?

Check it out on the map:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1068972

Here's an e-mail my dad sent me that I found informative and useful. I don't eat fast food much, but certainly find myself eating it from time to time - e.g. airports and road trips. I'm not a health freak, but its nice to be conscious:

"After visiting several web sites and reviewing nutritional data the best sandwiches from a health stand point with very low amounts of fats and no trans fats are

1. Wendy's ultimate chicken grill sandwich
2. Burger King Tendergrill chicken sandwich
3. Mc Donalds Premium grilled chicken classic.

The Wendy's sandwich is the best but there is very little difference. A small order of french fries has twice and a medium order of french fries has three times the amount of fats than these sandwiches.

The chicken sandwiches also have a lot more protein than burgers.

Thought I will share the info.
Now I know what to order and what not to when I go fast fooding.

Wendy's will add onions and jalapenos to their sandwich for free ! I just had one and it was delecious."

After having a stimulating, soapbox-worthy rant with Chris (to set the scene, we were standing on my doorstep in the pouring rain) about how much Organic Produce pisses us off, I have decided to write another one of my scienc-y blogposts that I've neglected lately. However, I need some more time to gather balanced information from both sides before I put it together. So I am writing this post to keep myself honest, and make a promise to you that such a post is in the works. Please hold me to it.

If you've got information for me that will help, send it along. This may include anecdotes, facts or hearsay. To be clear, I AM a big fan of organic meat/dairy (or at least free-range, hormone-free, vegetarian-fed), so this will not be a part of my post. Yay for science!

Here's a newsreel style recap of all the big news from January. Its awesomely useful and entertainig.

Oh yeah, LiveJournal doesn't let me embed random stuff. So Here's the link:
http://www.slate.com/id/2159369?nav=ais

Man, I love Slate.

Check out our cute southpark avatars. If you can't guess who these people are, I put a caption below. If you don't know who these people are, you probably don't care about this at all.


top row: chris c, elaine, gautam, divya, teresa
bottom row: natalie, matt L., stina, marques, ann.

freaking sweet. Ann, you are awesome for putting these all together.

If you want to make your own southpark character, go here: http://sp-studio.de/

To commemorate this occasion, I've made a SWEET MIX:

http://www.jamglue.com/mixes/11763

and there's more where that came from...

(normally I would have embedded the mix directly...but LJ has flash disabled.)

Fine, maybe not famous. But close enough: http://mashable.com/2006/12/30/jamglue/

Measurable results from my trip:

1. The Andaman Sea now contains at least a gallon of my pee.

2. I have undergone a dramatic color change (despite the fact that I religiously wore the awesome hat bookerz got me from Korea):

DAY 1	DAY 9

3. After all my hippie-bashing, I found out that I am, in fact, a hippie. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a window at the airport in Bangkok, and saw a chick with: a wrinkly brown linen skirt, flip-flops, nappy hair, a woven jute purse, and an enormous backpack with a straw mat attached to the outside. I have also suddenly grown concerned with the amount of hormones and antibiotics in meat (topic for another post). And I went to Thailand. Time for some self-reflection?

4. I discovered that I don't have to eat "breakfast food" for breakfast! I had chicken fried rice every morning ("asian breakfast"), and for the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed breakfast. Scrambled eggs: Peace out. The most important meal of the day just may become a consistent part of my life.

5. After a careful field study, the results are in. Real-life snorkelling is better than watching the fish on the Hi-Def channel. Minus the claustrophobia of having to breathe with your face underwater, and the stress that if you touch a coral, you are killing a gazillion-year-old creature.

Had an awesome time, and am glad to be back.

G and I are going to Thailand in 2 weeks! We just decided today. I know that makes us sound like some kind of spontaneous travelling couple, which we most certainly are not. Its just the way it went down. Anyway, if anyone has advice for us, send it our way. If you have a favorite beach or can recommend a place to stay, that would be awesome.