Author: Brandon Moeller

We’ll even let them eat cake

Sweet Tooth, 2800 Avenue K in Rosenberg, has been contracted as the official bakery of the Kovar-Moeller wedding. A Yahoo Reviews page is the closest thing they have to a web site. Hmmmm….

Kim and I had a chance to drop by their offices recently for a cake testing and they made two giant cakes for us to sample and showed us a portfolio of their work.

I hate to spoil the cake before it’s baked, so I think all I’m allowed to say is that Kim’s will be white and mine will be chocolate.

I was really impressed with the owner’s cake portfolio and professionalism and look forward to the masterpiece her staff will be creating for our special day.

We took home a lot of cake after our tasting at Sweet Tooth.
We took home a lot of cake after our tasting at Sweet Tooth.

Also, songs that were rejected today for consideration for the wedding reception playlist:

  • Table and Chairs – Andrew Bird
  • Waltz #2 – Elliott Smith
  • Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
  • Flowers and Liquor – Hayes Carll
  • Burn the Honeysuckle – The Gourds
  • Voodoo Chile – Jimi Hendrix

I haven’t had much time to read this week. But, still.

It’s the weekly obligatory linkpost. Yeah, you know you want it.

Here's a shot I snapped of Westheimer at Dunlavy, during a recent visit with my pal David.
Here’s a shot I snapped of Westheimer at Dunlavy, during a recent visit with my pal David.

RECREATIONAL READING
Another great post from Betty Martin’s blog : http://bettymartin.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/another-anti-war-blog/

GEEK + TECH
Houston design firm makes unmatchedstyle.com : http://www.unmatchedstyle.com/gallery/poplabscom.php

For IE6, gif it, don’t png it. : http://www.pewpewlaser.com/articles/png-into-gif

“The over-extended class” : http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/005073.html

What WebMonkey wants to throw in a black hole, featuring #99ff33 : http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/8_Things_on_the_Web_We_d_Like_to_Throw_Down_a_Black_Hole

Nobody cares about your website : http://newsweaver.ie/gerrymcgovern/e_article001512755.cfm

New tools for Google Services for Websites : http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-tools-for-google-services-for.html

The crash-happy Firefox 3.5 : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/08/i-want-to-love-firefox-35-but-it-keeps-crashing-on-me/

16 ways to share large files : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/08/16-apps-that-make-sharing-large-files-a-snap/

Does Microsoft’s investment in Facebook net them “below-the-fold” search results when one searches Facebook? : http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/08/facebook-search-bing/

Advanced CSS tips and tricks : http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/10/mastering-css-advanced-techniques-and-tools/

“… A website is more like a storefront … you need to advertise to attract trade.” : http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/09/10-harsh-truths-about-corporate-blogging/

As it broke – Facebook acquires FriendFeed : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/10/facebook-acquires-friendfeed/

Blackberry vs. iPhone : http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/08/great-geek-debates-iphone-vs-blackberry/

Forgetting is healthy : http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2009/08/in_a_webbed_world_do_we_remember_too_much.html

You can’t delete Flash “cookies” : http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/you-deleted-your-cookies-think-again/

Android has some cool apps : http://lifehacker.com/5331710/ten-more-neat-and-productive-android-apps/gallery/

How to create a line art silhouette : http://www.layersmagazine.com/silhouettes.html

How to create line art from a photo : http://www.graphic-design-employment.com/live-trace.html

Colorizing line art : http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30229&seqNum=8

“New Photoshop Line Art Trick” : http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2008/06/06/new-photoshop-line-art-trick/

HYPER-LOCAL
Maybe carp is not crap : http://www.texasobserver.org/index.php?/botb/one-mans-trash-fish

More on the Schulenburg dance hall : http://www.texasobserver.org/index.php?/critics-notebook/destination_dance_hall

WiFi coming to Rosenberg : http://www.fbherald.com/articles/2009/08/06/news/doc4a7b0c05465f7459130225.txt

Sunflower swiping in the Montrose? : http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/08/some_old_ahole_is_swiping_the.php

I can’t believe there wasn’t any water at Summer Fest. My God. : http://www.29-95.com/music/story/29-thoughts-summerfest

Prescriptions just got cheaper in Fort Bend County : http://www.fbherald.com/articles/2009/08/10/news/doc4a8082d5e8e8f365451104.txt

MEDIA
On media layoffs, and the wrong assumption of “I’m a lot better than that doofus, so I must be safe.” (the comments are as good as the post) : http://johnemcintyre.blogspot.com/2009/08/patron-and-protege.html

The term is “programmer/journalist” : http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/08/how-computer-assisted-reporters-evolved-into-programmerjournalists219.html

NEWS
How to refute the birthers : http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/05/birther_faq/index.html

So what – a third of the kids who graduate college were likely pushed there by rich parents and thus have no debt. For the rest, the median debt was about $20K : http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/education/12college.html

ART
Why so serious? : http://www.drawger.com/drewfriedman/?section=articles&article_id=8462

Marmaduke explained : http://www.29-95.com/time-suck/story/marmaduke-explained-08-10-09

MUSIC
Elton John + Alice in Chains = Black Gives Way to Blue : http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/11/elton-john-joins-alice-in-chains-new-album-to-honor-layne-staley/

.CMX : http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/11/in-a-move-im-calling-too-little-too-late-too-proprietary-major-labels-are-introducing-their-own-file-format/

TELEVISION
Mad Men written predominately by mad women : http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/08/08/mad_women_writers/index.html

GARDENING
Tomato blight is partly the fault of the renewed interest in gardening, Dan Barber claims : http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09barber.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=late%20blight&st=cse

Coreopsis – one you don’t hardly have to water : http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener/2009/08/ol_reliable_heat_bloomer_coreo.html

He’s back

On August 8 – the first day I was able to put my shoes on and go out and water my lawn after a week of recovering from the great white shark attack on my toe – the frog was in my shoe. This wasn’t the first or second or even third visit, either. But it was the fourth one I caught with my camera.

So I dumped him out and snapped some photos for your amusement.

There he is. In my shoe. Which means the dance begins.
Sometimes I consider buying new gardening shoes just so he won't be disturbed. (Don't tell Kim)
"You don't scare me, fat boy."
He's so lethargic when I find him in my shoe in the mornings.
A wee bit disillusioned, too. I mean, what's he trying to do here? Hide under the shoe? Fat chance.
Until we meet again ...

Tribute presents

A few Sundays ago we went to my uncle’s house for a family birthday party. We celebrated a lot of birthdays.

Five. Could have been more if more people showed up. Those people will remain nameless, but they know who they are.

Two of the five people were Donna Novak and Melissa Jones. Donna is my cousin Steve’s wife. Melissa is her oldest daughter.

In February, Donna’s mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. I never got to know her very well, but I did know she was a great cook and a longtime busdriver for the Magnolia Independent School District.

A scholarship was created in her honor after her passing, and word is a Magnolia student’s college burden was gratefully lighter.

Anyway, so, for their birthday gift, Donna and Melissa received a 5×7 frame with a print of some photo art I worked up for them. From recent photos I had taken at Melissa’s November wedding.

Mike and Judy Chaney pose for a photo during Melissa's wedding. This was the photo I gave Donna. I made the background grayscale and blurred it a bit to bring out the brightness of Judy's smile.
Mike and Judy Chaney pose for a photo during Melissa's wedding. This was the photo I gave Donna. I took out the red eye, made the background grayscale and blurred it a bit to bring out the brightness of Judy's smile.
Mike and Judy Chaney join the newly weds Melissa and Tim Jones for a wedding portrait. This is the photo I gave Melissa for her birthday. I combined two photos in order to capture the whole arch, took out the red eye and gently blurred the background to bring out the people.
Mike and Judy Chaney join the newly weds Melissa and Tim Jones for a wedding portrait. This is the photo I gave Melissa for her birthday. I combined two photos in order to capture the whole arch, took out the red eye and gently blurred the background to emphasize the happiness in these couples.

I share these photos here not only to show off my skills in Photoshop, but also as a way to honor the Chaneys who mean so much to people who mean so much to me.

The way it is

Here’s the obligatory end-of-the-week post-o-links.

A store sign spotted on the way to Freeport last week.
A store sign spotted on the way to Freeport last week.

ART
Sharks + Beer = (Bleep) yeah! : http://fuckyeahsharks.tumblr.com/post/153105566/nickdouglas-fuck-yeah-beer-fuck-yeah-summer

COMMENTS
Third comment : http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2009/08/omg-wicked-plants-is-the-cover-story.html

GARDENING
How to recycle rain : http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener/2009/07/recycle_rain.html

The botanical collection : http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2009/07/the-botanic-garden-collection.html

I would wiggle mine, but it was mauled by a shark : http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener/2009/08/for_mon83_whats_in_your_escape.html

GEEK + TECH
Smash it open : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/01/why-the-fcc-wants-to-smash-open-the-iphone/

How to Bypass Stupid Voicemail Instructions : http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/how-to-bypass-stupid-voicemail-instructions/

Laughing Squid was banned for mysterious reasons for months from Digg, proving Digg is pretty worthless : http://laughingsquid.com/digg-bans-laughing-squid-without-warning-or-specific-reason/

MySpace steps toward open : http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/myspace_to_bet_its_future_on_open_standards.php

FileSoup under seige : http://torrentfreak.com/oldest-bittorrent-site-targeted-by-police-owner-arrested-090804/

WebTrends 9 is out : http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2009/08/webtrends-9-google-analytics-eat-your-heart-out.php

Die for freedom, but don’t you dare enjoy it yourself : http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/08/marines-ban-twitter-myspace-facebook/

Kill, kill, kill IE6 : http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/06/internet.explorer.six/index.html

A little more openness for facebook Pages : http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/08/facebook-opens-stream-further-pages-become-true-twitter-competitor/

The end of the codec wars? : http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2009/08/05/the-end-of-the-codec-wars/

Now that’s what I call a remote control : http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10302894-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5

Bring. It. Down. : http://www.bringdownie6.com/bring-down-ie-6.html

IE6 – No More! : http://www.ie6nomore.com/code-samples.html

Transparent PNGs + IE 6 : http://24ways.org/2007/supersleight-transparent-png-in-ie6

A-Z of Free Photoshop Plugins and Filters : http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/03/a-z-of-free-photoshop-plugins-and-filters/

Inside the Erskine redesign : http://www.alistapart.com/articles/erskine-design-redesign/

How to redesign your own site : http://www.alistapart.com/articles/redesigning-your-own-site/

HYPER-LOCAL
“Heck, you’ve already reduced the size of the weekday paper to a point the delivery folks are having to add weight to keep people’s copies from blowing away.” : http://loseaneye.blogspot.com/2009/07/chronblog-lets-talk.html

That’ll get their attention : http://www.fbherald.com/articles/2009/07/29/news/doc4a70b8ffe5487069255089.txt

New inspection stickers invoke feelings of cowboy pride, heritage : http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/08/new_inspection_stickers.php

No more (kid) culture at the Woodlands Mall : http://blogs.chron.com/woodlands/archives/2009/08/museums_to_clos_1.html

Hail Mary: Nutty Christians vs. Social Science : http://www.texasobserver.org/index.php?/pi/history-the-right-way/

The Smoking Gun vs. the not-so-merry pranksters : http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/08/prankster_smoking_gun.php
The right should ‘come to Jesus’ : http://loseaneye.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-time-for-come-to-jesus-meeting.html

MEDIA
Why the AP no longer matters : http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/02/associated-press-wil-1.html

MOVIES
New Wes Anderson flick, Fantastic Mr. Fox : http://www.29-95.com/movies/story/wes-anderson-totally-wes-andersons-out-new-wes-anderson-trailer

MUSIC
Meridian, JavaJazz merge in a move that makes no sense : http://www.29-95.com/music/story/meridian-javajazz-become-one

Rolling Stone nods Listen Listen : http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/30/hype-monitor-listenlisten-ramona-falls-neon-indian

Loving it up while you’re falling down : http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/06/aerosmiths-tyler-airlifted-to-hospital-after-falling-from-stage/

Get Tweedy on the phone and over here, stat : http://www.29-95.com/music/story/sigh-another-wilco-tour-passes

NEWS
A Palin divorce? : http://gawker.com/5327957/are-sarah-and-todd-palin-getting-a-divorce

Now we pay you, now we don’t : http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6557588.html

RECREATIONAL READING
A tribute to Pumpkin : http://seanmorrisseycarroll.blogspot.com/2009/08/orange-jack.html