sandblade.net

A lot of people dismiss New Year’s celebrations. “It’s just another day,” they say, and that’s true. However life is just like good project management, it requires firm starts and deadlines. Otherwise you’ll never know when you’re finished or need to move on to the next phase in life. Reviewing is what keeps us from endlessly living in a rut. With that in mind, here are some notable things from this year that I experienced. (more…)

This is sandblade’s first endorsement. I heartily endorse John Murphy for the 16th Congressional District. As an independent he has absolutely no chance. Plus being anti-corporation won’t help him either. Sure he’s crazy, but he’s my brand of crazy. Murphy’s stand on immigration, healthcare, our wars, and terrorism is spot on. Pitts is pretty much guaranteed re-election. I think his very secure seat has made him feel immune to any kind of dissent. The three times I’ve written his office I essentially got blown off, with no consideration at all. If Murphy got 5% of the vote, it would send a pretty loud message. If you’re in the 16th, you’re vote is already wasted, join sandblade.net and waste it in style.

So I’ve been living with the Dell Mini 9 for about two weeks now, and I have to say I’m more than pleased with it. It’s actually turned into a really useful tool. I primarily use it for three things, web browsing, cli terminal, and remote desktop.

There are a lot of mini 9 reviews out there and I agree with most of them, so no need to repeat unboxing shots or gripes about the location of the ‘ key. What I will do is tell you how I use it in my everyday life (more…)

I never could get into the idea of the everlasting gobstopper, why would anyone want a jawbreaker that never melted, ugh. However what I would want is a never ending bag of sun chips. Picture a bag, where when you reached in there was always another delicious Sun Chip. How much would you pay for that bag (think about free sun chips for the rest of your life)? I’d pay $350 max.

I love the station wagon. In a Sandblade perfect world there would only be tiny hatchbacks like the Honda Fit and VW Golf, or station wagons. Why own a sedan when a wagon is more practical and has no downside compared to the sedan version? Wagons hold more stuff than their sedan counterparts, get the same mileage, and are easier to parallel park. The size and wheelbase are the same, and they have the same interior space and better mileage than SUV’s. When the SUV revolution came around wagons were left for dead. With the rise in gas prices, most car manufacturers are making these ridiculous “crossover” vehicles that have all the negatives of an SUV and none of the positives of a wagon. Wake up car makers, the world is ready for the wagon revolution. There was a small revival of the compact wagon in the early 00’s, but for the most part Subaru is the only company that makes wagons over their entire line (and have you seen how popular they are?). So here are some sedans that I think need to be made into wagons. (more…)

28-Jul-2008: It was a beautiful day in Paris on Sunday, and a fitting end of the Tour for Team CSC-Saxo Bank, whose incredible teamwork all three weeks in France culminated not only in the overall victory for Carlos Sastre, but also the white jersey for Andy Schleck and the overall Team Classification victory.

I’ve waited seven years for CSC to win the TdF. It was incredible to watch the well timed teamwork of CSC methodically take over the front of the peloton and execute their tactics. I’m not a big sports fan, and I never really understood what it’s like to watch your favorite team go to the Superbowl or the World Series until now. In previous years CSC never had any real chance of winning the TdF, so I never really took much interest. I always rooted for Cancellara in the TT and hoped Voigt would do an awesome breakaway. This year was agonizing watching how close the final TT was on stage 20. CSC could have easily lost all three awards in a single day, and on paper they were set to lose the yellow jersey. All the press said Sastre was going to lose that day, and the thought of coming this close and blowing was almost too much for me to watch. But the best wins are always the ones that come from behind and defy the odds.

Nothing is completely cool until it gets its own faux Euro-Windshield-Oval. I’m proud to say the EL has officially arrived.

Don’t forget to look up their other classic hits such as Cheesecake Truck and Jesus Was Way Cool.

I’m still not used to calling them team CSC Saxobank, but I’m a dedicated enough of a fan to keep trying. It was amazing watching CSC dominate Stage 10 of the TdF. The tactics were perfect as Cancellara put the pressure on in the beginning and Gustov and Voigt crushed the will of the peloton up the Tourmalet. In fact Voigt single handedly removed Valverde and Cunego out of Tour contention, proving once again that he has the more moxy than any other cyclist in the field. A perfect day would have ended with Schleck finishing first and in yellow, but at least you stayed on your bike Frank. And in all fairness that’s all I asked for. Stage 11 was even more amazing as Arvesen managed to win the stage by a few centimeters. When I heard he was in a break with Ballan and Pozzato, I thought he had no chance in the final sprint. Whether it was legs, brains, or luck, Arvesen pulled a much deserved win even though he was in the lead for the sprint. I figured he’d blow it like the 2006 Paris-Tours, but it looks like he’s getting smarter with age. Bravo CSC Saxobank! Now all I need is Frank in yellow and Voigt in an all day breakaway win.

“While one should value a more esoteric lifestyle, one should embrace the idea that all innocuous lifestyles are objectively equal.” -paraphrased from a great intellectual.

Totally right on dude, it’s not about the ‘05 lifestyle. It’s all about the esoteric lifestyle.