December 2011
2 posts
Man, it’s hard to believe it’s been over 2 years since I left Apple (& started out on my own)….
September 2011
3 posts
5 tags
Putting myself in check
For no particular reason, I’ve been really tense and angry for the past day or two. I went to bed tense and angry last night, and woke up the same way. Angela noticed and tried to convince me to relax, but that only exacerbated my tension and anger.
The thing was, I could see that I was tense and angry, and I really didn’t want to be that way, and my frustration with being tense and...
2 tags
Thoughts on Intervention 2011
I’ve been home from Intervention 2011 for just over 24 hours now, and I just wanted to put down some of my thoughts and experiences before they fade from memory.
So glad I went. Given budgetary constraints, I was seriously considering skipping the convention. With the encouragement of my friend Jennie and when my friend Ben’s plans fell through (and I had some unexpected business on...
August 2011
1 post
1 tag
formspring.me
So, there’s this formspring thing. You can ask me anything: http://formspring.me/captkevman Y’know, in case you’re bored or something.
July 2011
3 posts
5 tags
5 tags
June 2011
2 posts
6 tags
Werner Herzog reads “Go The F*ck To...
6 tags
May 2011
3 posts
5 tags
If April showers bring May flowers, I await this...
As the old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” If that’s true in the figurative sense, I’m anxious to see what May turns into in regard to recent events in my life.
I started to go on and on about why, but suddenly I’m compelled to keep these thoughts private, so I deleted the words I typed. In general terms (as I’ve mentioned before), my marriage...
April 2011
13 posts
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us...”
– Ira Glass (via nefffy)
(with a nod to John Gruber at Daring Fireball for linking to it.)
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[see also: Robert Rodriguez’ director’s commentary on the Spy Kids 2 DVD for similar inspiration]
6 tags
Kev concedes defeat (A to Z Blog Challenge)
Well, I gave it a shot.
I made it to J (K if you count this post), but due to some pretty major real-life distractions, I’m throwing in the towel.
It was fun to write on a semi-regular basis again, and this challenge has definitely inspired me to do so more often. I hope the momentum keeps up, but honestly, I have more pressing things that require my immediate attention (my marriage, my...
7 tags
Joy
I mentioned in my “H” post that my marriage had just endured its first major trial since we got married nearly fifteen years ago. Again, I won’t go into details about what happened, but I will discuss what I have taken away from it.
Our marriage had fallen into the trap where we never had time to see each other without the stress of the house and the kids (at least one of our...
6 tags
iPhone as a camera
The old saying that the best tool is the one you have with you does indeed ring true, and I’ve found that since carrying an iPhone around with me all the time (pretty much non-stop since Apple issued me one in July 2007), I tend to snap a lot of photos with the camera that’s built in to it.
It’s never been the best quality camera (although admittedly, I do not own an iPhone 4),...
4 tags
Her smile is beauty, comfort and love
I first met her on the phone, and even then, I could hear her smile. She had a quiet energy and youthful zeal in her voice that lifted me during a dark period in my life.
We spoke for hours a day on the phone for an entire week before we first laid eyes on each other. During our conversations, my low self esteem painted the image of a monster in her mind’s eye, and yet she wanted to see me...
5 tags
Gaga, Google, Glamour, Glee & Gays
OK, so I really couldn’t pinpoint a “G” topic.
Oddly enough, every one of those items in the post title have a common theme: breaking down barriers of sexuality. Maybe I’ve got something subconscious going on here.
I recently saw the “Gaga at Google” interview, and since I pretty much don’t listen to the radio, I figured I’d see what all the fuss...
4 tags
Friends & Family
I recently found myself on the needing end of a confidant, and quite to my surprise and chagrin, after going through my inventory of current relationships, I found no one that fit the bill. It’s not that I don’t have any friends, it’s just that I no longer have any friends close enough that I could approach with my burden.
I suppose that’s just something that comes along...
9 tags
Everything Is As It Should Be
I have a rather unremarkable spiritual life. While I was raised as a Christian, I’m not aligned with that faith in its current incarnation. I do believe in a Higher Power of some sort, but I don’t think it’s a magical man in the sky that grants wishes if he’s showered with enough praise. I think nature has a design, and we have sort of a sixth sense that is attuned to that...
6 tags
Don't be a jerk (DBAJ)
Don’t Be A Jerk (DBAJ) was the cardinal rule in the online gaming group (as well as its host forums) I played in during the early 2000s.
It’s a basic rule of society, and of course it’s managed to make its way into our family’s ruleset, as well. Our kids are at the ages (11 and 8, currently) where they are aware of the motives behind their actions (well, most of them,...
5 tags
captkevman, by any other name
captkevman has been my online nickname for nearly 15 years now. There are variations - in the beginning, it was CaptKevMan, and sometimes I abbreviate it CKM or ckm, but it’s always been a variation thereof. I’ve settled on the all-lowercase captkevman, but it’s always been pronounced “captain kev man.”
The origin of the name is pretty straightforward: when I was...
6 tags
Birds - both Angry and with Tiny Wings
I am a hopeless gamer.
I’m not talking about a die-hard World of Warcraft hermit or a gung-ho First-Person Shooter sniper (although I have been both in the past). I’m a husband, a father, and a business owner, so unfortunately, I don’t have time for extended gaming like I used to.
But thanks to the explosion of casual gaming brought on by the mobile market (particularly...
3 tags
And...here I go trying another challenge
Apparently, there’s an “April A to Z Blog Challenge,” where the goal is to post one blog entry per day (except Sundays) during the month of April. Having just found out about this challenge, this is the entry for April 1.
I’ve been meaning to spend more time blogging — not necessarily here, but I figured here is as good a place to start as any.
The only theme...
December 2010
3 posts
4 tags
Attention K-Mart shoppers...there's a Blue Light...
I was pulling out of the parking lot of my office building today, waiting for one car to enter traffic during lunchtime. The car had just pulled out of the Starbucks’ drive-thru, which spills out into the parking lot just before the main road.
So, there was Car A (who had pulled out of Starbucks, waiting to enter traffic), Car B (me, who pulled up behind Car A), and Car C (who was trying...
8 tags
November 2010
2 posts
6 tags
I am (Chemical) Zombie
Last week, I managed to come down with this season’s flu, along with a bit of pneumonia. Over the course of the past few years, I’ve managed to get West Nile and H1N1, but neither of them kicked my butt like this year’s one-two punch of Flu + Pneumonia. On Day Four, I managed to get to the doctor’s office, where I was prescribed an antibiotic, as well as a steroid to combat...
6 tags
WatchMy own little editorial about election day. Please vote, and vote responsibly.
August 2010
3 posts
5 tags
A cover of DEVO’s Gates of Steel I made...
6 tags
GarageBand: Stirring the Creative Soul
Wow. I found this while Googling myself (upon discovering some other “captkevman” selling sketchy things on another site). I completely forgot that I had written this. A little background: I had just launched a website targeted at GarageBand users. And I was still giddy with excitement about GarageBand.
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GarageBand: Stirring the Creative Soul Posted by CaptKevMan on Wed Feb...
5 tags
Something For Everybody, Something Special for a...
(my DEVO Concert Review - Show date: July 30, 2010 at The National in Richmond, VA)
(Father Spud & Tater Tot)
Pre-Show
I had been looking forward to the Richmond, VA DEVO concert since it was announced in early June. Unfortunately, business hasn’t been as brisk as I’d like (I’m an independent tech consultant, still just getting started), and it looked like I was going...
June 2010
6 posts
5 tags
Human Rocket
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I am a human rocket
On a mission of deployment
I’ve been cocked and loaded
Ready for the culmination
I am a human missile
Guided by a secret agenda
That commands my every thought and deed
And wills me on my way.
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I am a human rocket
On a mission of redemption
I’ve been cocked and loaded
Primed by everything I know
I am a human missile
Guided by a secret voice
That...
4 tags
A shake, by any other name...
Me: “Thanks for the shake, sweetie. What did you put in it?”
Emily (my daughter): “It was vanilla ice cream and cookie dough. I call it a Van-ookie Shake!”
Me: “Van-ookie, eh? That’s funny.”
Angela (my wife): ”You can’t call it a ‘Nookie Shake.’ You should think of another name.”
WatchIn conjunction with the launch of Something for Everybody, their first studio album in 20 years, DEVO has launched an online “reality” program journaling the lead-up to release. This is episode 1.
WatchFull length interview with Steve Jobs at the D8 conference. (Just embedding it here for convenience).
4 tags
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
Like many people, I’ve looked back on events in my life at various times and thought, “what if…?”
What if…
…I had finished college?
…I had followed through on those initial contacts I made with Disney Feature Animation or MTV Animation?
…I had moved out of the area while I was younger, to somewhere like - say - Atlanta or San Francisco?
...
May 2010
4 posts
1 tag
One morning you wake up and find that your gender...
Aside from spending the first half day or so exploring my new body, probably not much. I’m tolerable (at best) in appearance as a male — I’m sure I’d make a thoroughly unattractive female.
(NOTE: Many people say that my sister Kelly and I look alike. Not true - she makes a cute girl. I’d make a scary one.)
Ask me anything
1 tag
1 tag
formspring.me
Ask me about barbecuing cats for fun and profit! (not really…but I *did* see that on a bumper sticker once…) http://formspring.me/captkevman
April 2010
7 posts
1 tag
formspring.me
I’m an open book! Well, if you ask, anyway -> http://formspring.me/captkevman
1 tag
Have you gotten any cool mac products?
Well, I happen to think all of my Apple products are pretty cool. ;^) Currently, the two I use the most are my MacBook Pro (it’s my main workstation) and my iPhone 3Gs (my portable lifeline to the world and all-around wondergadget). I’m looking forward to picking up an iPad (which I hope to use as my main on-site/service call/payment processor machine) as soon as I’m able to do...
1 tag
OK, what's with these questions on your facebook /...
I’m using http://www.formspring.me to post to all 3 simultaneously. I figure this way, at least one person is getting content they actually want to see (and I think it makes for more interesting/interactive content in general).
Ask me anything
1 tag
Is it true you were quoted on the box of a cartoon...
This is actually true. When Comic Life was first released as shareware in 2005, I left a review on VersionTracker.com (which I can’t find to link to, since it was for an older version). One of the developers contacted me and asked if they would mind if they used it on the upcoming boxed version of the title. I gladly agreed. Now, if you look, you’ll see a quote attributed to...