robowerks

Go Speed, Go!

2008-05-08T09:04:00.002-05:00

My all time fave is now hitting the big screen at last. As a kid growing up, I'd race home from school just to watch the Speed Racer cartoon and loved it. I liked all kinds of shows, but this is the one I really loved the most growing up. So from the past to the present, we'll look and see how Speed has changed over the years. Let's kick things off with the original show intro and theme song. Star Your Engines!

Years later, that theme would be cut up and mixed into a pretty cool dance mix. It was a must by for me to say the least, being a die hard fan of the show and loving high energy Techno tunes. Plus the crowds like hearing it played at the parties too. Moving on, the show was renewed so to speak. I've never really seen the new show, but the little bit of the graphics look OK from what I can tell. Not sure about the story lines on this one and I'll have to keep my eyes open if these show up on TV sometime now. Lets take a look at the new graphics and updated theme intro as we close in on the final turn.

I don't remember what movie I was at when I first saw this trailer, but I almost jumped up when I heard that all so familiar opening theme. Then to see the filming and treatment unfold had me looking forward to this release date. I'm a huge Speed Racer fan and this is a must see flick for me for sure. You never know what someone will do to shows like this, but I feel pretty good and expect it to be great. Enjoy the trailer if you haven't seen this one already.

I hope you liked seeing a little more about Speed, for those that don't know the history at least. Look around the TV shows, I'm guessing you'll see some of these old cartoons still out there if you look hard enough.

Just not the same with out you

2008-05-04T21:17:00.003-05:00

Well it's been about a week or more with out the Tivo remote. Not a clue as to where it has gone. Lucky thing the new remote for the TV is full of codes and one worked right off the bat.

Now we don't have the fancy Thumbs Up/Down buttons and we don't seem to have access to the guide from the remote, at least I'm not finding that out so far. We can push on the box itself and get there though.

But what we've really missed is the Rewind and Fast Forward functions. It's been a pain to watch a recorded show and sit through the commercials. Not any more... control has been restored, a little off from before, but still closer to normal than with out.

At some point I'd love to get a super remote that does it all, one click and turn stereo on to what I want, set the Satellite to what I need, pop some pop corn and bring me a beer. Ok, the last two I'll do for myself the old fashion way. But a guy can dream still, right?

Before I get the one remote to rule them all and in entertainment bind them. I need to see about moving the Dish on up to HD standards and ditch the over air access or at least some of that. I'm thinking around the summer time might be a good time to do that. But until then, we need to hold on to this remote and not let it out of our site.

Back in the Saddle again

2008-05-03T21:49:00.004-05:00

Today was a good day to ride! That's right, ride and so I did. I took the bike out, something I hadn't done in awhile actually and put a nice 50 miles or so on her. Actually rode with a coworker and a friend to help raise some money for St. Jude research too.

This was the 2nd year to do this and we decided to change things up a bit and make a little more of a ride and not head straight on the highways to the meet up. It was suggested that we should ride around Lake Worth. Sounded like a really cool idea and I'm glad we went with it.

The ride was great, nice cruise around the lake, perfect weather, and nothing to really worry about at all. The highlight around the lake for me was seeing the Castle. That's right a Castle in Texas sits on the Southern part of Lake Worth. The Castle of Heron Bay as its called now, sits quietly overlooking the lake.

It's in sad shape these days, but its still interesting to see and I decided to look up more information on the web. Lots of history in this structure to say the least. I'd like to go back and actually stop and look at it some more.

In the end it was a great day to ride and for a good cause. Hopefully next year we can increase the number of riders and earn a lot more money for St. Jude. Between now and then though, I hope to ride a whole lot more.

Spring Cleaning Storms

2008-04-19T07:40:00.007-05:00

Hard hitting, Spring Cleaning storms have struck the home recently. With a whirl wind of activity we have finally started throwing out junk and looking to sell some stuff in a garage sale.

Here's the kicker, the stuff was not expected to return no matter what. That's right, we had items that we are hoping would have brought us a little bit of money and help us clear up some room around the home.

Things don't always work as they are intended to though. Sadly the Garage Sale was a bust pretty much and didn't net any real profits at all. But things did clear up a bit just the same.

Now some of these items have returned to the garage, in effort to still sale them somewhere. But its not all bad, the Garage looks a lot better then it has and shows signs of improvement. Spring Cleaning is in full effect or infecting the house with luck as well. A need to reduce the clutter and get rid of things that are not really needed should continue to spread around the house.

By the time you read this, you might notice a couple minor changes here as well. For one the simple URL is now available for those of you visiting. Still in the same familiar place, just thought I'd clean up a little on the net and make it easier for those wanting to visit. I hope to make a lot more use of this as well. I also need to look back at my Podcasting, I'm sorry those have come to a screeching halt and I think it's time to mash that pedal and get those in gear again.

Wish me luck now and think about cleaning up a little in your life too, you might find a little less clutter could give you a whole new perspective on things. It helped me, I can see the floor now and that's a nice foundation to build upon.

Where does the time go

2008-04-18T08:39:00.003-05:00

Time flys by when your having fun or no matter what in fact. So to say I haven't been busy would be an under statement. Last weekend we had a little family camping action going on. This weekend we'll be a father/daughter camping event.

I've been working on setting up a fundraiser for my wife to raise money. I'm looking to tap some friends in the gaming community to donate to this effort. It's a big effort of mine to take on, but I'm going to give it my best. Cool thing is I've lined up a pretty cool gift to offer as a raffle to those that donate. I think I can get a nice package together for this effort.

This past week the garage went through some changes and looks like we are getting a lot of junk thrown out and hopefully sold at the Garage Sale this weekend. I sure hope it all goes and makes us a little bit of money at the least. All of that money is slated to help with donations for my wife's walking event. Did I mention the fundraiser thingy I'm working on?

I've got a little one on the side that I'm working on I'll at least make a personal donation myself and be riding in the St Jude ride again this year. I'm part of the motorcycle friends that will be helping out. Would be cool to do on a horse sometime, but I'll stick to two wheels for now.

My movie script is way behind and its going to be interesting to pull this one out. Lucky for me the next weekend looks open so far and I'm going to need to try and do some serious writing over the next days and make an amazing comeback. I've been dealing with a few other things that take up time, but not needing any mention here.

Who's a Hero Now?

2008-04-08T15:49:00.002-05:00

An awesome launch event from Microsoft for IT Developers was held today in Dallas and I was fortunate enough to attend this event. The Heroes Happen {here} event helped launch Visual Studio 2008, Windows Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008.

The Key Note given by Jon Roskill was excellent and was themed around Dynamic IT and outlined goals that all IT departments should shoot for. Best of all the latest products from Microsoft showed how easy it could be for IT departments to reach those goals. Most IT departments spend 80% on keeping things going and 20% on creating new solutions. The Dynamic methods goal is to switch those percentages around with each other and with this selection of tools, you can reach those types of goals.

Various tracks were available to showcase the latest tools and various guests were on hand to talk about how these tools are helping them in their daily workloads. The Vendor expo had a variety of sponsors on hand to showcase some of their products and the event wrapped up with a number of free goodies for all to take home and start using.

Free SWAG

Windows Vista Ultimate
Visual Studio 2008 Standard
Windows Server 2008 (1yr)
SQL Server 2008
Windows Mobile Dev Kit
Microsoft Forefront (trial)
Microsoft System Center (trial)
and more goodies

Events like this not only inspire you, but they also put a lot of the tools in your hands to start working with. If you get a chance to attend one of the events I recommend you jump all over it and fast. You can look at some of the information online and most of these products have basic versions or demos available for download as well.

It's an HD thing

2008-04-03T19:55:00.002-05:00

Amazing about sums it all up and interesting at the same time. Sometimes you just have to stare and take it all in and I'm talking the tiny details that come from a really nice HD picture. Only thing is not all shows are broadcasting in HD and that means you see a lot of shows in SD (Standard Definition).

Now if you don't take those shows and try to stretch them out, its not so bad. I do notice things in the area of text from SD broadcasts, they just look bad in that area. Also just because a channel is in HD, doesn't mean that they are broadcasting programs in HD all the time. In fact I've even seen some HD stuff, like the Today Show for example and their cuts to stories appear as SD. In most cases that format switches auto for you and then switches back to HD, but you still notice a difference in the quality of the picture.

HDMI is pretty much the defacto connection and we are talking about 1 cable to rule them all so to speak, sending both HD video and Audio in a single neat cable. Only thing is I'm not setup with HDMI all around, so I'll have the best picture I can to my TV via HDMI and then send my all my audio out to my stereo via digital audio. We are still going to have a great experience all around, just a few more cables.

So when you start looking at upgrades to the world of HD, keep in mind HDMI and how many connections between all your devices. Over time you'll also see more and more Channels switch over from SD to HD content. DirecTV is pretty much leading the market with the number of channels available in HD, but you could still see some stuff in SD.

Gaming in HD or at 1080p is the best and I'm enjoying this a lot on the LCD tv and my Elite Xbox 360 handles it great. Games are pretty much designed for this format and you can't go wrong with this combination. PC connections are also a nice feature in some of these HD TV sets too.

Last is the area of HD DVD or I should say Blu-Ray. I'm in no hurry, I know Blu-Ray has one, but until these drives drop way down in price, the media drops and pretty much we see SD DVD leave the market, which I don't see happening, I'll be fine with normal DVD and in fact a lot of DVD players upscale to 1080i or 1080p and look great.

Lets make a movie

2008-04-01T12:40:00.003-05:00

That's right, its time for Script Frenzy once again, having moved up to April form June. Same as last year with only 30 days to write a movie script from scratch. I had a great time last year doing this and have decided to make a sequel to my blockbuster from last year.

No it wasn't produced or anything like that, but come on now, that is what all writers want to do, make part two of their great project. So its time for me to dust things off and wake up my characters from last year and see what adventures they can get into this time.

Last year was fun and tough at the same time, I'm hoping that I'll have it easier in April and looking forward to the break afterwards leading up to NaNoWriMo. Today is the start and if you ever thought about writing a screenplay, then why not take the plunge and join in on the fun. Take a look at Script Frenzy and just write daily.

Will You Give Your Support?

2008-03-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This year, Edith will be participating in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk.

She will walk a total of 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

She has agreed to raise at least $2,200 in donations and has set a personal goal of $3,000. So she needs your help. Would you please consider making a donation? Keep in mind how far she will be walking - and how hard she will need to train. You can donate online at http://www.edithowens.com/3daywalk/ or call 800.996.3DAY to donate over the phone.

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, more than 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That's why she is walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with her by supporting her in her fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Sincerely,

Robert Owens

P.S. Ask your employer if they will double your donation through a matching gift program.

14 days til fade in...

2008-03-17T18:00:00.002-05:00

Well my NaNoEdMo is not going well at all. Just didn't get into it like I thought I would and I think with Script Frenzy coming up fast and furious I've just held back in that respect.

I'm planning on coming back for my 2nd Script Frenzy event and I'll be using Celtx once again to do this. The product is great and I don't think I could have managed it with out the free download editor.

I pretty much could just run with it and it helped manage things for me. I've already looked at the updated version and I'm ready to create a new movie script.

After this is over, then I'll look back at editing my first NaNoWriMo over the rest of the year. Maybe I'll try NaNoEdMo next year, just depends on how things fall schedule wise. Well if you ever thought about writing a movie, then nows your chance. Next month for 30 days is Script Frenzy, its not to late and it doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to give it a try and hit the goal.

A Night at the Caucus

2008-03-07T14:40:00.001-06:00

Well the title says it all... yes I voted as a Democrat in the 2008 Democratic Primary on March 4th in Texas. I became an Obamacan for the night & the time being and hung out with Texas Democrats. The truth be known and for the past few elections, I've pretty much voted as an Independent in a lot of the races in Texas and that doesn’t do much really around here.

Texas for the longest time has been nothing more than a Republican state, until now or at least on appearances after this Primary. Here's the situation for the Republican party and based in Texas. John McCain has wrapped up the GOP and is the guy. That being said, Republicans stayed home and didn't vote as a majority. You not going to see them come out until the actual election in Texas. So they have an attitude of its time to sit and wait.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party had huge turnouts and unlike anything in previous years. We are talking a flood of voters like you would not believe and if this was the actual election, then Texas falls to the Democrats and becomes a real shocker around these parts.

Truth be known I've been following results for sometime and listening to what is being said and watching how the candidates respond and go about campaigning. I pretty much like what I've seen in Obama and don't with Hillary, so if I can at least have a say in that and exercise my right to vote between those two, why not take that shot?

This is where its crazy, you go and actually vote and make your choice. Then you go and caucus and pretty much vote again. Yes you get to vote twice, crazy if you ask me, but you get to vote twice. After all of that is said an done, they total up votes and then decide on who get how many delegates from your precinct.

Now I'm not sure if the overwhelming turnout was solid Democrats for once and how many other Republicans came out and tried to have a say and who would go up against McCain, but it was interesting to see the whole process and be apart, as crazy as it seems. The funniest thing I heard that night was an official yelling out to everyone, "If you’re a Republican, your not suppose to be in here and need to leave!" I did see at least one person leave at that time.

The Democrats are fighting tooth and nail and will continue that. The Republicans are sitting back and waiting to see what happens. Hillary won Texas in the end, but at least I helped Obama get some Delegate votes and keep his lead in that area. I've got a lot of time between now and the actual election and it should be entertaining and educational as well.

The WorldWide Telescope

2008-03-04T10:32:00.004-06:00

I just finished watching GBTV #0320 with Cali Lewis and she mentioned a project called the WorldWide Telescope and I was amazed at what I saw. The exciting news is this project developed by Microsoft Research will become available as a free download for Spring 2008.

Much like the features of Google Maps or Google Earth, your going to be able to travel virtually around and see some of the best images threaded together and made available from telescopes all around the world.

This is going to be a great resource tool to help educate kids of all ages, allowing them to learn more about Space and see just how small we truly are in the Universe we live in. Best of all, you can take guided tours from leading Astronomers or create your own. In addition you can take part and click on areas to access tools to provide you more resources to information on the places you visit.

To learn more take a look at the TED presentation and watch the WorldWide Telescope web site for more information as it becomes available.

Tony n' Tina's Wedding

2008-02-24T18:10:00.004-06:00

It's always fun to see family and friends get married. Having gone to a fair share of weddings, I can say I've seen a lot of things and even photographed a lot of things. So when our cousin Tony from New York invited us to attend his wedding here in Texas, we jumped at the chance.

Truth be known, Tony n Tina have been doing this just about every night for the past 20 years, being the longest running Off Broadway hit running. The best way to describe this is My Cousin Vinny meets the Wedding Singer with a Rocky Horror Picture Show twist.

So the service was held at the Sara Ellen and Samuel Weisfeld Center in Dallas, a beautiful Church and the perfect location for a Crazy Wedding to take place. With a heavy New York wise guy feel and funny antics, your drawn in and a part of the Wedding, never knowing who all is a real guest or who might be an actor or actress.

Live 105.3, Jagger in the Mornings, Jagger Mafia made the event all possible with specially priced $10.53 tickets. After the wedding Ceremony concluded, we moved downstairs for the reception and enjoyed Pasta, Salad, Bread, Cake, Champagne, and the Cash Bar.

The family(cast) made its way around to visit everyone and party. You know how some parties can quickly get out of hand and this event had its fair share of crazy moments. Funny and a real hoot with a real wedding feel, as crazy of a wedding you can imagine. I'd recommend you being a part of this event if your ever invited and the nice part is you don't have to bring a gift and go home happy.

Here's to Tony n' Tina, may you have another wonderful 20 years of getting hitched.

First look at a working title

2008-02-23T10:44:00.002-06:00

Well I actually went back to the last day of November 2007 and cracked open my novel. The novel that I wrote for the 2007 NaNoWriMo contest. My first time at writing something so large and creative. Actually earlier in 2007 I wrote a movie script at a total of 20,000 words, but the Novel was my primary objective for the year and reaching the 50,000 words goal.

So I began to read my story, the one I kicked around in my head and finally let out on paper, well the screen at least. I have to say I'm pleased for the most part, its not a best seller, but I'm actually liking my idea and looking forward to editing and rewrites over the next few months.

Actually I get started in about a week and get to review my first draft and make any and all changes. My end result is to polish it up more over this year and would like to actually have it printed. A very limited run of say, one copy at least.

So wish me luck and where is that red pen now. Oh my... my, inner editor, I can't remember if I even let it back out from last year. I hope its not mad at me... I'd like some help with next months NaNoEdMo.

The Spiderwick Chronicles trailer review

2008-02-06T09:56:00.000-06:00

I guess it was this past Summer when I first saw the movie posters for the Spiderwick Chronicles and decided I wanted to read Holly Black and Tony Diterlizzi's bestselling children's book series first. In fact I had seen the titles in my Library for some time and this gave me the nudge to pick up the five books. After finishing the first book I was hooked and had to continue reading them and it’s the complete set that tells the whole story, so I absorbed them with ease and really enjoyed the story.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is now slated for a February 14th, 2008 Theatrical release and stars Freddie Highmore as twins Jared & Simon Grace. The last thing I saw Freddie in was the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I loved his performance of Charlie, even though I'm a bigger fan of the original movie. I missed out on seeing the Golden Compass where he does voice work for the Character Pantalaimon, but I still have that book to read and will more and likely pick up the movie on DVD when it comes out. So I'm looking forward to seeing how well he pulls off the lead role of Jared and then performs double duty as his twin brother Simon.

So last night a Preview screening was held in Dallas and I had passes to attend the event. As much as I would love to tell you what I thought of the movie at this time, I can't. Due to some crazy internet promotions, people were allowed to print out their own passes and gained access well before those of us with Official Preview Passes. So after a 45 minute drive to the northern parts of Dallas, we were left out in the lobby with our Jaws opened in shock. Out of all the free screenings I've been invited too, I had never been denied access.

So the only review I can give you at this time is from two trailers and a movie clip showing Thimbletack the house brownie, who when angered becomes a boggart and very mischievous. The longer trailer with voice over is my favorite and revealed a lot more of the movie and story. The shorter trailer is the one you see more of in promotions and gives you a general feel of the movie and story. I really loved the clip with Thimbletack and feel they did a great job in bringing the character to life for the screen. So as much as the internet defeated me in seeing the preview last night, it at least showed me a little more of the movie today.

Well, that's all I can tell you about the movie and story and it looks like I'm waiting with the rest of the fans now. Give the books a read and then go out and see the movie. Trust me, You have plenty of time to absorb these books and then take a journey into the fantasy world of the Spiderwick Chronicles.

A Giant Defeat in the end

2008-02-03T21:22:00.000-06:00

Turn out the lights the party is over baby! Dreams do come true for those who believe. I said it early on when the Patriots were picked to go to the Super Bowl this year.

The Patriots were caught video taping deffensive signals from the Jets coaches. In the end it was more of a slap on the wrist and a fine. I hate cheaters and felt they should have paid more. I actually thought it should have been drastic and they should be out for the season. Yes I can be really hard in that area.

Not the case and so I felt they should have been forced to tell the other team every play they were about to make then. But that wouldn't fly as well and the way to make someone pay is to fine the coach, fine the team, and dock the team a first round draft pick. Whoop Di Doo!

So the Pat's keep playing and run an perfect season and don't loose a single game. They are at the end of the season and face the Wild Card team New York Giants. What a game, Pats are winning most of it, but look bad to me and then the Giants pull it off with only 35 seconds left for the Patriots to try and get it back. Sorry, justice is served at last. You get to think about how you beat everyone, were caught cheating and then denied the glory of winning the Super Bowl. LOL

Thank you New York Giants, I didn't want you to beat my Cowboys, but who better to crash the dreams than a Giant. Way to go and congrats to a great season!

Super Bowl Ads
If you missed the Ads, well head on over to MySpace.Com/Superbowlads and see what you missed. I enjoyed quite a few of these and tomorrow will be the talk around the water cooler on which Ad was a favorite. Just give some praise to the Giants while your at it.

Double Shot for your ears

2008-02-03T15:06:00.001-06:00

Playing catch up for the podshows brings you shows number 3 & 4 for your pleasure. Number 3,
What's on my Tivo and the Boob Tube lately, I take a look at some shows I'm watching and love and have a few thoughts on them.

Number 4 is from the headlines and my thoughts on Arlington restricting adult businesses. The result is over half of them have closed up shop now. Come on fellas, you can find other things to do with your money now. Sit back and listen, from Tivo to Legs, its two for one and thanks for coming back to the Robowerks podcasts.

RSS: http://www.podshow.com/feeds/robowerks.xml

Check back for show number 5 on Lost & Cloverfield.

Time to Edit draws near

2008-02-02T11:15:00.000-06:00

Wow, January has come an gone now and its time to start looking towards NaNoEdMo. In today's e-mail was an announcement from NaNoEdMo about the site coming online and that the forums are opening up. That gives me less than a month to work more on my World Building and prep for editing last years 50,000 word Novel I wrote.

But wait, its doesn't stop there, we are talking back to back events with the 2nd Script Frenzy kicking things off in April. The nice thing is that gives me the summer free more or less and time to look towards the 2008 NaNoWriMo event.

If all goes well and I finish NaNoEdMo, I'd like to think I'm steps closer to printing my first Novel. I'd really like to see it in a Printed state before the start of the next NaNoWriMo. So wish me well and if you ever thought about writing yourself, stop thinking about it. Do It!

Writing for a larger audience

2008-01-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

Sounds like a dream of writing for a larger audience might come true after all for me. It's still a bit early, but a chance to write for an online community has presented itself and I'm looking to throw my hat into the ring and give it a go.

Fact is I've wanted to do something like this for sometime and no I don't plan to quit my 9 to 5 job. For starters, the new gig is not really a paying gig anyway. So I can't very well do something like that and I've never thought about making a switch in careers anyway.

No, I have a passion for writing and reading and well the only way to solve the writing itch is to just write. So I blog about various things from time to time and I'm even podcasting now. Speaking of which I'm way off schedule on the podcasts and need to get back on with some shows and quick.

Well if all goes well I'll start writing for this online community and hopefully do more along those lines. Keep checking back here for updates and my podcasts, my goal is to get three shows for each of my blogs out this week. Wow a huge 6 shows to record this week, thankfully they are short shows right now. Thank you for checking into my blogs & podcasts and being patient.

Grand Opening for Neighborhood Marketplace

2008-01-16T20:41:00.000-06:00

ARLINGTON, Texas, Jan. 16, 2008 – The new market-style grocery store offers fresh produce, favorite brands and familiar values to our local neighborhood. Located at 5401 Park Springs Blvd. and the intersection of Green Oaks Blvd is the much needed Grocery store. As part of Wal-Mart’s commitment to the community, the store is also announcing $34,000 in grants to local organizations, schools, the new public library, and public safety agencies.

Pictured above is a very similar looking Neighborhood Marketplace and what the insides look like. It's really nice to have a store in such a close location and keeps us from driving farther and dealing with crazy traffic. The previous store was not the best of stores and we were very happy to hear that Wal-Mart had purchased the property and have waited for long time. The wait is finally over and its nice to know we can do our grocery shopping here in the neighborhood, even if its just for a quick item we are needing. Thank you Wal-Mart.

Gmail hickup for IE7 users

2008-01-16T17:54:00.000-06:00

You've got Gmail! but you can't see it... Argghhhhh!!! What gives with this, well it appears to be some issue with Gmail and IE7 users. They are working on this and hopefully they'll have it fixed soon. Great, so what can I do until that time comes? Here is where the work around comes into the mix. One recommends that you set your browser to delete Cache every time you exit. Another asks you to switch back to the classic version of Gmail. The last is a new link and the one I decided to try first. Click the following link if you have a Gmail account and your an IE7 user.

http://mail.google.com/mail/?hist=0

In other news, it seems that Gmail has released some new features for iPhone users. Hmmm, I'm not an iPhone user... wonder if any of that could have broke my Gmail. I'm sure they'll get this sorta really quick, I'm just glad I found answer with a quick search on none other than Google.

Show number 2

2008-01-12T22:16:00.000-06:00

It's been a week and I'm back with show number 2. It had its ups & downs and I'm hanging in there. So this week I had some minor tech problems and played Hammerlock from the Podsafe Music Network.

http://www.podshow.com/feeds/robowerks.xml

I'm not sure why, but I have tiny box on the right hand side that is suppose to display my new shpws. I'm not seeing it yet, so click the link above and paste that in your browser or Podcacher. Hang in there with me... Hopefully things will get better.

Fort Worth Stockshow

2008-01-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

I finally made it to the Stockshow! That's right I'm 39 and I've never been... at least to the best of my knowledge. I actually work out at Will Rogers Equestrian Center for the APHA World Show ever year and I'm familiar with the grounds, but I've never made it out for the Stockshow until now.

This year I'm helping out with a Judging Contest that APHA puts on during the show. We help with about 3 contest during the duration of the show. That is what I'll be working on tomorrow.

So today I took the family out and I have to say, I'm impressed with the size of the show and how some things are done. For starters they have vendors selling food all over the place and I'm talking some pretty good smelling stuff and its not like the show I'm used to. Wow the food available! It also have a mini State Fair look and feel with all of the rides and games available. We use those areas for parking... not fun and games.

The highlight of the day was taking my girls to ride the ponies. The smiles and giggles was priceless and worth every penny I spent. So if your local and never been to the Fort Worth Stock Show, then you shouldn't wait any longer. The show has just kicked off and there is plenty to see and do.

Two out of three aint bad

2008-01-05T20:54:00.000-06:00

Well week one is a wrap more or less. I recorded two shows today one for this site and the other is on my TXPaladin on Live site for the Xbox 360. Its fun and will take some getting use to and building a rhythm more or less to these shows.

Right now the shows are short and sweet, if you want to call them that. They come in at 10 minutes each and will remain that way until I decide to upgrade the software. I think I'll keep them always under a 30 minute show time.

I'm using a program called Cast Blaster to do the shows and for the most part these are straight and live. So I hit record and if I flub up, then that's what it would sound like live. I'm not spending time with edits and producing a bunch of stuff. I plan to gather my things and roll with it.

You can find shows listed on the right side under the robowerks heading. If you like, feel free to subscribe to the show with your Podcatcher software using the following link.

http://www.podshow.com/feeds/robowerks.xml

This weeks show features the Austin, Texas band White Trash Cowboys. I found them on the Podsafe Music Network and really liked the sound and that they were from Austin, Texas.

Looking Back at 2007

2008-01-01T19:47:00.000-06:00

A couple of the things I'm really proud of from 2007 come in the area of my writing. The creative side in me and the desire to write more was put to the test this past year and I'm happy to say I had a blast taking part in two writing contests this past year. The first was a 20,000 word Movie Screen Play. I used ScriptFrenzy as a warm up towards my final goal of writing a 50,000 word Novel for NaNoWriMo. I'm proud to say I stuck with my goals and refused to give up.

I had a number of other goals outlined, some I met and some will have to show back up on my list of things for 2008. Continuing my writing will be on my list, as its a new passion I've released and I want to continue learning and improving in that area. One goal for sure is to polish my first novel and have it printed in a book form, so I'll spend a good portion of 2008 in edits and rewrites, my goal is to try and have the book finished and printed before the 2008 NaNoWriMo contest kicks off.

April will mark the start of the 2008 ScriptFrenzy, I'm glad this was pushed back, it was really tough to do this with my World Show duties this past summer. I don't really plan to send my scripts into anything at this stage, its more of an exercise to keep me writing and on task. Its the goals that help in this process of writing.

More on my goals for 2008 will come later in my blogs or my new podcasts that I plan to start this year. Till then I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and if you set some goals, reach for them and stick to them, it feels good when you reach them.