Robert Neer recently commented on my post about the Google Mashup of the California Wildfires, pointing out a related story on NPR. Which lead me to the KPBS website, creators of the San Diego focused Google Mashup of the California Wildfires. I found another cool thing at the KPBS site - they sponsored a public Flickr group for posting photos of the Wildfires.

I wanted to point this out for a couple reasons. First, it’s a great set of photos. Second, I love seeing organizations utilize social networking sites in meaningful ways. Third, I’ve been trying to convince the Fairfield Weekly, Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, The City of Fairfield and the Fairfield Art Walk to use Flickr as their photo pool for awhile now. None have done so, although the Art Walk has created a group on Flickr.

Why am I so pushy about Flickr? Well it’s an incredible application for aggregating and sharing photos (and therefore readers) with ZERO cost. It’s the ultimate and standard for social networking applications. And I don’t see nearly enough organizations realizing the marketing potential of using a site like Flickr. But wait there’s more! Flickr is also extremely easy to incorporate into an existing site.

Anyway, here’s the California Wildfire Flickr slideshow created by the readers of KPBS.org:

I lived in Seattle during the last three presidential elections. It basically didn’t matter who I voted for. Now that I am in Iowa my vote for the 2008 election feels important, larger than myself.

Iowa is the first state to pick its candidates. Iowa and New Hampshire’s primaries influence who others will vote for. We show the country who is electable. The common thought is you need to be one of the top three candidates in Iowa to go on. After Iowa and New Hampshire’s primaries a majority of candidates will drop out.

It looks as if the power is even greater this year. Iowa Democratic leaders stated they plan to hold the state’s caucus on Jan. 3rd. This will make our primary the earliest in history.

The early date was chosen to keep our status as first. States like Michigan, California, Texas, New York and Illinois all want to push up their primaries to early February. Political Wire and Iowa political blog Bleeding Heartland are speculating that Iowa will now be even more influential because there will be little time to gain popularity or funds after Iowa’s caucus.

I have always considered myself very patriotic. Especially when I speak out against war and oppression. But after years of complete frustration and disenfranchisement due to the “disaster of bush” I have been left feeling unrepresented, cynical and hopeless for the future of the USA. But the dear old Iowa caucus has put a little zing in me. I feel as if I have a bit of say! I promise to take my voting responsibility seriously.

With that said, I do not know who I will caucus for. :-)

This is the most amazing amateur footage I have ever seen. It just keeps getting more and more amazing as it goes on.

This morning as I passed the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center I noticed it was starting to look . . . well no longer like a huge eye sore. Despite the cheap looking brick materials the buildings are looking pretty good. It would look even better if they could have built the east facing gutters on the auditorium a little differently.

If I was in charge I’d hire some top notch graffiti artists to paint some huge murals on the auditorium walls.  But, alas, I am not in charge.
The website says their will be Trick or Treat on the 29th. Do they mean this year?

Every now and then I peek at the server logs to see how traffic is moving. Below is a list of four posts I’ve made over the past year on this blog. Can you guess which one has the most traffic to date?

• Urban Behavior
• That Post About Vivos
• Obama 2008
• Making Time For Satan
• I’m Gay

Yes this is kinda like one of those sitcom episodes that is a collage of all the past jokes, stitched together in the guise of a new story. I make no apologies.

The moment Dawn and I arrived in Fairfield we began encountering the assumption that we had moved to Fairfield to learn/practice Transcendental Meditation (i.e., join the movement). Upon learning that we were not TMers, there were two most likely responses: one of relief by long term Fairfield residents who were not involved in the movement. And one of confusion mixed with curiosity by TMers, who were apparently both surprised and excited that non TMers were learning about Fairfield.

It’s taken me nearly a year to understand and appreciate both reactions, as well as refine a short response to the question often asked of us. That response being something like, “Fairfield offers a unique blend of opposites. On one hand you have the values and simplicity of down to earth, small town America, and on the other hand you have the new age ethics, wealth and influx of world cultures of a baby boomer built hippy community.”

What I’ve found most fascinating about Fairfield is the categorization of the town into those two opposites - townies and roos. I find it fascinating for a couple reasons. First, I think it’s interesting that the category most appealing to me is absent. That third category being the middle ground between the two opposites. The friends I have made in Fairfield for the most part fall into that third category, yet they too describe the town in terms of townie or roo, not ever really associating themselves with one side or the other.

Secondly, who made up those terms? A lot of the townies I’ve talked to stare at me blankly when I use the term roo. Or I’ve heard them use others terms to categorize the movement - “marishis”, “the university”, “meditators” and “floaters”. And I assume the roos chose their name. Roo is slang for Guru, which means teacher, expert, or spiritual guide. Who wouldn’t like that as a nickname? I think the townies got shafted here with the category naming scheme.

Which brings me to my point. A vast majority of the people I’ve met are not in either category. So where do we all fit? What’s our name?

I’ve heard a couple people propose the name “straddler”. And I sure hope that one doesn’t stick. I don’t want to be referred to as a straddler. It sounds like “fence straddler” which often means someone who is indecisive. I’m not indecisive. My middle ground position is not between here and there. It’s home. It is a place itself that was created and reached by decision. And in that place I’ve found some wonderful people who have also reached this place by decision.

Not that most of us will ever get to choose how others stereotype us anyway. It’s like that scene in Animal House where the pledges receive their names.

“Kroger, your Delta Chi name is Pinto.”

“Why Pinto?”

“Why not.”

Yes exactly - why not.

My business partner (CEO of ScribeStorm working out of our Burbank office) called me this morning to tell me he was evacuating his family for fear of two fires near his home. He was unreachable by mobile phone for several hours while I tired to find more information. I was unable to get any clear details at CNN or LA area news sites. Then I came across this Google Mashup. Cool.

Looks like this mashup is pulling data from the LA Times, which is funny because I went to the LA Times website and couldn’t really get a good idea of what was going on. I thought about this for a while while navigating the Google Maps mashup and it occurred to me that I would prefer to get all my news in the form of a Google Maps mashup.

Please feel free to start or continue any rumors here and now. I’ll get the ball rolling.

1. The Maharishi does not visit the US to avoid a number of lawsuits against him.
2. The movement was originally formed as a wife swapping front.
3. The Maharishi recommends that every morning you rub yourself down with a specific oil and do something akin to flogging yourself and the process takes 6 hours.
4. If all else fails; snort Ghee.
5. The Maharishi says that the price of enlightenment is exactly one million dollars.
6. A few local roos believe it was worth one million dollars to not have to go to the dome anymore.
7. Enlightenment and an LSD trip appear the same to an outside observer.

I have no idea. Found on the forest bed at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park in great quantity.

One of the joys of paying a parking ticket in Fairfield was the convenience and low cost. Parking tickets were $2 and could be paid by scrounging up a bunch of change from the car seats and ash tray and putting it all into the envelope that was the ticket, and then dropping it into one of the many drop boxes located all around the downtown area.

I got a ticket about three weeks ago and still haven’t paid it. The fee is now $10 and the city has removed all the drop boxes. I tried to take it to the court house and they told me I need to drop it off at the Police Station. Jeez, it’s like I’m a real criminal now. Gotta go turn myself in to the law.

It’s feeling a lot less small town today.

UPDATE: shortly after writing this I was running an errand and drove by a house with a pig running around in the front yard. So no need to panic everyone, nothing has really changed here.