Thursday, June 28, 2007

Aaaagh!


Aaaagh!
Originally uploaded by danieljohnsonjr


Aaaagh!
Originally uploaded by danieljohnsonjr
In case you haven't noticed, Keisha and I enjoy our time in front of the camera.

Posted by Daniel at 6/28/2007 05:10:00 PM 1 comments

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Dan and Jennie Talk Stuff (video)

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Jennie and I talk about spending most of the day without sleep, White Castle hamburgers, Pepto Bismol, and getting beaten up with a chicken. Click play and let us know what you think by either leaving a comment, sending an email, or calling the Journey Inside My Mind Podcast hotline at (206) 666-5466



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Posted by Daniel at 6/23/2007 11:59:00 PM 0 comments

Dan and Keisha Talk Stuff (video)

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Mood: hilarious
Eating: chocolate chip cookies
Watching: the video you see on this post

In this video Keisha and I talk about what she did this morning at the YWCA, her upcoming birthday week (yes, I said week), and Harry Potter. Hilarity ensues. Click play to watch.



If you want to comment, you can leave it here, email it, or call it in to (206) 666-5466.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/23/2007 05:59:00 PM 2 comments

Seeing ghosts of a younger me at the public library

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Mood: nostalgic
Listening to: quiet
Reading: Who Let the Blogs Out?: A Hyperconnected Peek at the World of Weblogs
Eating: nothing - feeling hungry

I'm inside the main branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Being here brings back a lot of memories. The library has changed considerably since I was a child, but some of it is still the same.

I used to catch the 17 bus from home to downtown. I would sometimes come down here with my best friend David Mixon, other times accompanied by his younger brother Adam, and still other times by myself. This library was one of the coolest places to hang out. I even had dreams about things happening down here.

  • I remember poring over the items in the Films and Recordings department. I recall vividly searching through the card catalog drawers to find some interesting music. Other times, I'd browse the LPs and cassettes - CDs weren't around that much just yet. I remember testing some LPs on the record player they had set up, to see if I really wanted to check out the record.
  • Another time I remember spending a lot of time down here was in my junior year of high school, while working on my English term paper on Miles Davis. I would spend entire days up in the Arts and Literature department on the third floor, poring over materials. I would often listen to music I'd put on cassettes in my Walkman.
  • Yet another time I was reminded of just this morning was when I'd graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1994 and was looking for a job. I spent a lot of time at the Government and Business department back then. I remember, after learning of an interview I had with Alcoa Building Products in Sidney, Ohio, looking through scores of newspaper articles and other publications to find out anything I could about the company. Looking through microfiche and other materials, I'd print out and make copies of pages for my company research, back before the internet was really mainstream.
  • And then again, after receiving a job offer, I remember coming back to the G&B department to research the kind of car I wanted to get, spending lots of time going over reliability reports and insurance information.
I'm really impressed by all the changes to the downtown library, especially as I look at all the computers and the addition to the building that was done several years ago. Films and Recordings is now on the first floor. The Mezzanine, which used to be a paperback book area, is now a snack area and gift shop. The card catalog has been replaced on the first floor by a bank of computers. The checkout is no longer right at the both exits, but instead in a more central area.

Yet as I walk through this building, I still see younger versions of me doing the things I used to do so long ago.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/23/2007 11:30:00 AM 0 comments

First Test Video Post from Blogger Draft

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Posted by Daniel at 6/23/2007 01:29:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Blue Shirt Thursday - Self-portrait

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For awhile I'd forgotten I'd left the webcam on. So I decided to do a self-portrait.

Be sure to check out jonathancoulton.com to hear his song "Code Monkey".

Posted by Daniel at 6/21/2007 03:10:00 PM 0 comments

Flickr ID Badge


ID Badge
Originally uploaded by danieljohnsonjr
I guess I'm official.

Posted by Daniel at 6/21/2007 01:32:00 PM 0 comments

Monday, June 18, 2007

JIMM 87 - Summertime, Soundseeing, and Catching Up

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The latest episode of the Journey Inside My Mind is now live! Some great music to help kick off the summer and more.

SUMMARY

Welcome to summertime 2007! In this episode we share some soundseeing from the tallest building in Cincinnati, and I spend some time catching up with recent events. And always some great music. Go check it out already, would ya? Full shownotes at http://jimmpodcast.com. Direct link to file (mp3, 58:28, 53.5 MB)

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Posted by Daniel at 6/18/2007 12:37:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Like Mother, Like Daughter

These are the two most important women in my life, and I feel so blessed because of that.

Posted by Daniel at 6/16/2007 12:07:00 PM 0 comments

Friday, June 15, 2007

Intolerable Cruelty - another fun movie from the Coen brothers

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Mood: sleepy
Listening to: Jennie and Keisha talking about plans for tomorrow
Watching: see below

Jennie and I just finished watching this movie:It was typical of the Coen brothers, which meant that there was a lot of the typical quirkiness. George Clooney is in this one, too, along with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Instead of being obsessed with his hair like in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, he was obsessed with his teeth. And there were many other silly moments that branded this as one of those Coen brothers movies.

Clooney plays Miles Massey, a very successful divorce attorney. Zeta-Jones plays Marilyn Rexworth, a divorceé. How these two end up together is part of the story. It also has Cedric the Entertainer and Geoffrey Rush.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/15/2007 10:04:00 PM 0 comments

Celebrating Paul McCartney Coming to iTunes (video)

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Geoff Smith scores again with this video:



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Posted by Daniel at 6/15/2007 05:13:00 PM 0 comments

Monday, June 11, 2007

Manualist plays "I Feel Good" on his hands!

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It's called manualism:

Posted by Daniel at 6/11/2007 06:29:00 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

A Trip Through the Archives

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I just twittered:

hey bloggers! when was the last time you browsed through your archives to see what you talked about 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years ago?
and I was immediately reminded that it's been awhile since I did that myself. So, here goes:Related tags:

Posted by Daniel at 6/06/2007 05:41:00 PM 0 comments

The new media playground is like jazz

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Mood: upbeat
Listening to: Managing the Gray: Every Day is a Good Day
Reading: Learning XML, Second Edition
Eating: an apple

I checked my Bloglines and noticed that C.C. Chapman mentioned my name on his latest episode and the Journey Inside My Mind Blog in the shownotes, specifically with an audio comment about how the new media playground is a lot like jazz:

"Do not fear mistakes; there are none." - Miles Davis.
A lot of jazz music usually involves improvisation within the boundaries of a chord progression. The song starts off, usually with the melody. Then different instruments take their solos, which usually fall within the same chord progression as the melody. Eventually everyone comes back together to wrap up the song.

I'm probably grossly oversimplifying things with that description, especially when you consider trendsetters like Miles Davis, who through constantly reinventing himself, created new boundaries and genres of jazz music (Check out this post from 2003 for more information: Paving the Milestones).

I like to think that's what it's like with what we're doing with new media.

ABOUT DANIEL JOHNSON, JR.

I suppose I should share a bit more about me, in case this is your first time here.

I've been blogging since January 2002 and podcasting since August 2005. I now have more blogs than I care to count. Here is more of me, in case you're interested:And of course you can find me on MySpace, LinkedIn, and other social media networks. I'm always open to connect; just let me know how you found me.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/06/2007 11:46:00 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

How the Credit Union made me read their newsletter

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I opened the envelope from our credit union, ready to toss the usual filler stuff in the trash. I quickly scanned the headlines and was convinced to hold off for a little while.

They have been conducting a "Hidden" word contest to win a $100 gift card. So I wound up reading a little further into the articles to find the hidden word. Then I logged onto their website and submitted my entry to the contest.

I think this is an ingenious way of getting a customer to pay more attention to the content, and I'll be thinking of ways I could apply this technique.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/05/2007 08:01:00 PM 0 comments

Monday, June 04, 2007

Can you help me make my anniversary special?

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Here's the situation - I need your help:

Married father of one 9-year old, seeking help (ideas, etc.) from other married men (and women) about how to make a wedding anniversary on June 17th special in order to make up for having blown it big time in previous years. $50 budget.
When it comes to mine and Jennie's wedding anniversary, I have not done a great job. This time around, Jennie's not expecting anything, and I'd like to actually do something special this year.

Leave your ideas in the comments.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/04/2007 08:18:00 PM 2 comments

Monday Morning Musings

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I woke up this morning and was about to get ready for work when our dog Jake came in to "ask" if I'd take him outside for a walk. I said, "Sure, what the heck. Even if it's just 15 minutes around the block. It would be great for you and me to spend some time with God, too."

Our apartment complex has a lot of trees, and as I walk the dog in the morning, I hear birds from all over the place with their morning songs. Squirrels, too. And we even have a duck pond with ducks who often spend time outside the pond area. Geese, too, but they prefer to keep to themselves.

It's really interesting around spring as we see ducklings and goslings being born, and the protective nature of their parents in action.

For me, in the morning, as I walk the dog, I'm reminded more of God's beauty and creativity. I love how he manages this small area of the universe so well, and I marvel that I get to enjoy it.

I've often used these walks in the morning to talk with God about my own anxieties, concerns, worries, etc. I realize that I'm not meant to be that way, but that it's really God's intent and purpose for me that I pour these things out to him. He is able to work so many things out, even the bad things that happen.

Most of the time I pray for my own heart and character to be changed, so that I can more readily handle what is going on. Not from an endurance perspective, but I prefer to have a warrior mindset about the things going on in my life.

If you read the older posts, you'll find that I've often struggled with depression and anxiety. I think some of the ways I've tried to cope with it is to not get too emotionally involved with what's going on around me. As I type that, I see of course that's not the right thing to do, and so I've prayed for God to help me be in touch with all that's going on around me and not to shrink back from problems and obstacles, but to face them head on.

Just some things I'm thinking about as I head into the new day and week.

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Posted by Daniel at 6/04/2007 06:45:00 AM 1 comments