"MSN Search"

Ok, maybe I'm getting a little too much publicity these days. These search results were a little surprising. I'll have to be more careful about what gets leaked to the press.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 4:40 AM |

"Nice Weather"

Oooh! 59 degrees! I think I'm going for a walk. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:17 PM |

"Top 87 Bad Predictions About the Future"

Here are 87 bad predictions about the future. Some examples:

"A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere." -- New York Times, 1936
"The phonograph has no commercial value at all." -- Thomas Edison, inventor, 1880s
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." -- Ken Olson, 1977

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:17 PM |

"The History of Blogging"

In light of yesterday's blogging milestone, I thought a little history lesson was appropriate. To put things into perspective, here is the Wikipedia History of the Blog.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:17 PM |

"One Thousand and Counting"

On Monday, August 26, 2002, I set foot into the world of blogging. Three and a half years later this blog is still going strong. Today, this post has the honor of being my 1000th.

Just for kicks, here are some historic facts about this blog:

Total Unique Visitors: Over 30,000
Total Website Referrers: 937

Top Three Readership Countries:
- United States: 66.95%
- Unknown: 18.1%
- United Arab Emirates: 3.04%
- Canada: 2.79%

Total Referrer Sources:
- Website: 61.36%
- Searchengine: 38.62%

Top Three Website Referrers:
- JonBaas.com: 39.38%
- Blog Hot or Not: 4.18%
- Where the Hell Did My Job Go? (blog): 2.66%

Current BlogShares Statistics:
- Blog Valuation: $14,497.77
- Blog Price/Share: $1.20

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:43 PM |

"Optical Illusions"

So, how about some optical illusions this evening? Enjoy!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:50 PM |

"Friday Recap"

Moved large rocks. Slept. Worked on promo for "Paint My Pixels".

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:49 PM |

"Google Idol"

Can’t get on American Idol? Then try Google Idol.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 8:24 PM |

"Fluffy and White"

It's snowing outside... Certainly nothing that will amount to anything, but it does look lovely. Kind of like a snow globe actually -- softly falling snow in a surreal cityscape. Very pretty.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 4:11 PM |

"Quote of the Day"

"Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work."
- Rita Mae Brown

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:32 AM |

"Congratulations Japan!"

Congratulations to Japan for winning the first ever World Baseball Classic! This evening they beat Cuba 10-6 to take the title. Well played!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:51 PM |

"A day at the courthouse"

Today I spent part of the afternoon at the Milwaukee County Courthouse (don't worry, nothing related to me), and I made a few interesting observations....

First, most of the people in small claims court are either A, African American, or B, very "untidy looking folks". Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of being racist, I just have to wonder... What would the state of our public courts be like, if these people just tried a little harder? Tried to make something of themselves. There's certainly nothing stopping them. Why do they keep choosing to lead lives far below their own potential? Sometimes I just can't fathom it. To me, trying to learn, grow, improve, and achieve personal goals makes complete sense. Why, if these options are open to everyone, do so many people choose to ignor them?

It just boggles the mind sometimes. It really does.

Second, shoes. Womens' shoes. What idiot invented the spiked heal? They look painful, and I can't imagine the human foot ever being designed to distribute the weight of walking like that. It's like trying to walk while balancing on a long nail. Isn't that dangerous? Yet, nearly all of the professional women that I saw (aka, lawyers) wore these shoes. Is this common fashion among the legal profession? I'd think, lawyers, of all people, would want comfortable shoes, don't you?

Third, lending companies do not give out free money. I knew that long ago, but apparently, most of the people from my first observation above did not. By the door of the courtroom, there were two large sheets of paper listing columns of all of the court cases that would be heard today, and at what times. At least two of those columns consisted of nothing but small-time lending companies, or "payday advance stores" that were suing clients who didn't pay them back. Um, yeah. I repeat, lending companies do not give out free money (even if they make it sound like they do).

I tell you, a lot can be learned by a visit to your local county courthouse, especially in the Big City. It's sad really, especially when you see the flood of bad decisions coming back to bite people where it hurts (or the bad footwear people seem inclined to wear). Life would be so much easier if people just used a little more common sense and far more good judgement.

Well, that was my afternoon. Kind of depressing really. But, now that I'm home again, I think I'm going to move on and take care of some much more optimistic tasks now!

Have a blessed rest of the day all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 5:03 PM |

"First Day of Spring"

Yep, it's finally here! Today is the first official day of Spring. Happy Spring everyone!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:27 AM |

"Just for fun."

26 Ways to Have More Fun at the Supermarket

Football Career Generator

Ten Obscure Factoids Concerning Albert Einstein

-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:38 PM |

"Lego Aircraft Carrier"

You know, I remember the really creative things I used to build with my Legos when I was a kid, but I tell ya, this aircraft carrier takes the cake hands down! What I want to know is, how long did it take to build this, and with how many peices?

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:11 PM |

"Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

No green beer for me, but I'll happily pretend I'm Irish. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 4:36 PM |

"MEX 2, USA 1"

It's official. Team Mexico beat the USA today in the World Baseball Classic. As a result, both teams will not be advancing to the Finals. Instead we'll see Cuba play the Dominican Republic, and the unbeaten Korean team take on Japan. Should be an interesting final few games!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:47 PM |

"Quote of the Day"

"Pay attention to the idea that won’t leave you alone."
- Entrepreneurial Proverb

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:17 PM |

"Paint My Pixels"

Alright folks, you're the first to hear about this online. I've launched my lastest creative project, and I'd like to invite you to be part of the experiment. It's called, "Paint My Pixels", and it attempts to answer the following question, "Can thousands of artists all over the world work together to create a single painting, using only small blocks of colored pixels?"

For $1, anyone can choose a 100-pixel block and have it colored with one of 140 colors from a predetermined color palette. This block can also be "signed" and have a link to the website of the buyer's choice. But unlike the old idea of pixel advertising, the final result of all 5400 color blocks will be something more than just a random clash of tiny little ads. Buyers will have the chance to influence the direction of an actual work of art that will be painted on canvas at the end of the project and auctioned off.

Anyone who takes part in this collaborative art experiment will be part of a historic piece of art -- the first of its kind -- that will ultimately be displayed as fine art in someone's home.

So, you wanna help me paint "The World's First Internet Painting"?

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:51 PM |

"Quote of the Day"

"A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something."
- Frank Capra

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:51 PM |

"Kirby Puckett"

Sad news in the world of baseball. Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett has died.

Back when I lived up in Minneapolis, I can actually remember watching him play during the last few years of his Major League career. He was one of those players who truely loved the game and had such an enthusiasm for it. There aren't many guys like that left these days. He was one of my favorite ballplayers back then, and I think still is. And although I'm a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers first and foremost, Kirby will always be part of some of my best memories of baseball.

"Hall of Fame OF Kirby Puckett dies at 45"

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:34 PM |

"Five Things"

I came across the following meme on a blog I read regularly, and while I wasn't tagged with it, I still figured I'd answer it nonetheless. So, here you are, just a little more about your favorite actor/artist.

What were you doing ten years ago?

* Hmm. Ten years ago. Well, that would have been early in March 1996, so, I suppose I was just finishing my Sophomore year in high school. I wasn't all that popular back then -- just one of those creative types few people really paid much attention to. I had played JV baseball the spring before as a Freshman, but this was the year I decided to pass on that and start pursing roles and creative work on the stage instead. Two months later, in late May after school let out for the summer, I started my first official job as a Day Care Assistant at one of the local Minneapolis City Parks.

What were you doing one year ago?

* Well, let's check the blog, shall we?

Five snacks you enjoy:

* Cheese and Crackers
* Cream of Wheat with raisins
* Chocolate
* Totilla chips and salsa
* Fruit (usually apples or a banana)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

* Heh. I know the lyrics to hundreds of songs. Mostly Country, 80's Pop/Rock, and some Christian Contemporary songs. I think choosing only five would be a fruitless task. :)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

* Set up some sort of charity or theatre/art scholarship organization.
* See the world, particularly Greece, Rome, Ireland, and Australia/New Zealand.
* Produce a movie or similar creative venture.
* Buy a sporty yet economical car, a moderate house, and a pet cat.
* Invest in family ventures, and perhaps the stock market.

Five things you like doing:

* Writing this blog.
* Sleeping.
* Watching television.
* Listening to music.
* Being as creative as possible.

Five things you would never wear again:

* A full-body Easter Bunny costume. (Heh. Don't ask.)
* The eye-glasses I wore when I was younger.
* Gym shorts of the 80's. Ugh.

Five favorite toys:

* My computer.
* My art supplies.
* My music collection.
* My Star Trek memorabilia.
* My imagination.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:39 PM |

"Flower Drum Song"

This evening Scott and I were invited to see a performance of the Rodger's and Hammerstein musical, "Flower Drum Song" at the local Lutheran high school. Scott's aunt teaches there, and directs the theatre productions every year. Tonight she had two complimentary tickets on reserve for us, so we accepted, and took in some theatre.

Overall, it was a pretty good performance. Very enjoyable, well cast, and for a high school musical, far better than I had expected. One of the art professors from my old college designed the set, one of my old classmates was Technical Director, and yet another stage managed. I'm not all that big a fan of musicals, to be honest, but this one was definitely worth seeing. It also ended up being a subtle reminder that I really should get out and see more live theatre. Being in a production is one thing, but seeing one from the audience is a whole different ball of wax.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:04 PM |

"Server Crash"

My appologies to all my readers. Earlier this weekend my host server crashed (hense the annoying 404 error page), and I was offline all of yesterday and most of today. But it appears the problem has been fixed now, and we're back in business. So, thank you very much for your patience, and I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Have a blessed Saturday all! Until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:16 PM |

"World Baseball Classic"

The 2006 Olympics may be over, but the World Baseball Classic has just begun. I tell ya, what a great season for monumental sporting events! This is actually the first year of the WBC, and the game that I caught on television this evening (on my local independant station too no less!) was the first ever matchup in baseball history.

For someone like myself who has grown up watching American baseball teams playing in American stadiums, it was a little odd watching two Asian teams playing each other in the massive Tokyo Dome in Japan. But watching Korea sweep Chinese Taipei in a masterful show of pitching prowess, I am remainded of just how great this American sport has become. One hundred years ago, baseball was just coming into it's own here in the United States. Now it's a world-wide affair, with professional teams not only in the United States and Canada, but also in Japan, Korea, China, South America, South Africa, Europe, and Australia.

Pretty cool for a game involving just a ball and a stick.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:09 PM |