brendoman.com: putting the eek in geek http://www.brendoman.com/index.php brendoman.com: putting the eek in geek en-US http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 First Post of 2012 http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2012/01/26/first-post-of-2012 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:56:00 +0000 brendoman Anything Else 16492@http://www.brendoman.com/ <p>Behold, my first brendoman.com post of 2012! Unfortunately I don't have much to say. I am in a weird nostalgic mood today because it would have been my dad's 60th birthday. I started thinking about old friends and then, thanks to modern technology, I added some of those old friends on Facebook. Thanks internet! </p> <p>Living in Irvine is cool but I now feel completely detached from north Orange County and like a planet away from L.A.. It is taking some adjustment. I saw Haywire the other night with my roommate Jon and our friend Edgar. It kicked a lot of ass. You should go see it. It is nice living right by a cool Imax theater but it is not nice paying $19 to see said Imax films. Batman will be worth it though.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div> Behold, my first brendoman.com post of 2012! Unfortunately I don't have much to say. I am in a weird nostalgic mood today because it would have been my dad's 60th birthday. I started thinking about old friends and then, thanks to modern technology, I added some of those old friends on Facebook. Thanks internet!

Living in Irvine is cool but I now feel completely detached from north Orange County and like a planet away from L.A.. It is taking some adjustment. I saw Haywire the other night with my roommate Jon and our friend Edgar. It kicked a lot of ass. You should go see it. It is nice living right by a cool Imax theater but it is not nice paying $19 to see said Imax films. Batman will be worth it though.

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2012/01/26/first-post-of-2012#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16492 So Long 2011 http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/12/31/so-long-2011 Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:34:00 +0000 brendoman Anything Else 16481@http://www.brendoman.com/ <p>2011 was a pretty epic year for me. My good friend <a href="http://twitter.com/derickarmijo">Derick Armijo</a> invited me to co-host <a href="http://popsicklespodcast.com">Pop Sickles</a> with him and that is still going strong. Even though we said goodbye to Smodcastle in June, it will always live on in my (and many others') memories. The other highlight of the year for me is definitely the fact that Phil and I finally published the first <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/brax-the-alien-rocker-presents-tales-from-planet-earth-volume-1/18173767">Brax book</a>.</p> <p>Even though most of my online activity has been on <a href="http://facebook.com/brendoman">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/brendoman">Twitter</a>, I still have a huge place in my heart for this blog and all that it represents. We are celebrating our tenth birthday in 2012! That is crazy! We've all moved on to various things, many of the original folks have families now. We've come a long way from that group of young college kids who tended not to sleep very much. This blog helps me remember what good friends I have and that thanks to this site and many others, we can still keep in touch and share thoughts and ideas.</p> <p>I wish you all the best in 2012 and thank you for being part of making 2011 awesome!</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div> 2011 was a pretty epic year for me. My good friend Derick Armijo invited me to co-host Pop Sickles with him and that is still going strong. Even though we said goodbye to Smodcastle in June, it will always live on in my (and many others') memories. The other highlight of the year for me is definitely the fact that Phil and I finally published the first Brax book.

Even though most of my online activity has been on Facebook and Twitter, I still have a huge place in my heart for this blog and all that it represents. We are celebrating our tenth birthday in 2012! That is crazy! We've all moved on to various things, many of the original folks have families now. We've come a long way from that group of young college kids who tended not to sleep very much. This blog helps me remember what good friends I have and that thanks to this site and many others, we can still keep in touch and share thoughts and ideas.

I wish you all the best in 2012 and thank you for being part of making 2011 awesome!

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/12/31/so-long-2011#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16481 The Hobbit Trailer is Here! http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/12/21/the-hobbit-trailer-is-here Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:42:00 +0000 brendoman Movies LOTR 16476@http://www.brendoman.com/ <p><div class="you_tube center"><object width="425" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G0k3kHtyoqc&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G0k3kHtyoqc&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="340"></embed></object></div></p> <p>SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div>

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/12/21/the-hobbit-trailer-is-here#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16476 Some Beach Boys Memories http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/12/06/some-beach-boys-memories Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:52:00 +0000 brendoman Thoughts and Ideas Tunes 16470@http://www.brendoman.com/ <p>I've been listening to <em>The Smile Sessions</em> a lot on Spotify and it's really taken me back to a lot of good memories I have listening to albums like Pet Sounds and Spirit of America with my dad, who was a huge fan of the group. I remember seeing them a few times play at Padres games, which were always a blast. I will never forget dancing to "I Get Around" from our field seats as the band played in the outfield. The greatest Beach Boys memory I have though occurred the summer after my senior year of high school. I was at a party at my friend's house in Del Mar and we were outside in his front yard. We could hear "Good Vibrations" playing down the street but thought nothing of it. Then we realized it was a band playing and decided to check it out. So we went over to his neighbors house and there was Brian Wilson strumming a guitar. My friend's neighbor had hired him to play their party. It was pretty nuts.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div> I've been listening to The Smile Sessions a lot on Spotify and it's really taken me back to a lot of good memories I have listening to albums like Pet Sounds and Spirit of America with my dad, who was a huge fan of the group. I remember seeing them a few times play at Padres games, which were always a blast. I will never forget dancing to "I Get Around" from our field seats as the band played in the outfield. The greatest Beach Boys memory I have though occurred the summer after my senior year of high school. I was at a party at my friend's house in Del Mar and we were outside in his front yard. We could hear "Good Vibrations" playing down the street but thought nothing of it. Then we realized it was a band playing and decided to check it out. So we went over to his neighbors house and there was Brian Wilson strumming a guitar. My friend's neighbor had hired him to play their party. It was pretty nuts.

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/12/06/some-beach-boys-memories#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16470 The Muppets http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/11/21/the-muppets Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:19:00 +0000 brendoman Movies 16464@http://www.brendoman.com/ <div><div><a href="http://www.brendoman.com/media/blogs/b/muppets.jpg?mtime=1321895660"><img alt="" src="http://www.brendoman.com/media/blogs/b/./.evocache/muppets.jpg/fit-320x320.jpg?mtime=1321895660" width="320" height="213" /></a></div></div><p>Thanks to my awesome friend Ross I got to go to the PGA screening of <em>The Muppets</em> yesterday at The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. It was everything I thought it would be and then some. There was a great mix of new and old songs and it really captured the spirit of the first three Muppet movies, something I really felt has been missing in the later efforts. I was smiling pretty much the whole time. While it was definitely a nostalgia trip for me, there is plenty here for kids who might not be as familiar with the Muppets to enjoy. There were a lot of kids in the audience I saw it with and they loved it just much as the adults. Walter, the new Muppet, fits right in with the rest of the gang and Jason Segal and Amy Adams hold their own as well. As it wouldn't be a Muppet movie without them, there are also plenty of great cameos. If you're looking for something to watch this week, this is definitely the one to go with. I know I'll be seeing it again.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div>

Thanks to my awesome friend Ross I got to go to the PGA screening of The Muppets yesterday at The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. It was everything I thought it would be and then some. There was a great mix of new and old songs and it really captured the spirit of the first three Muppet movies, something I really felt has been missing in the later efforts. I was smiling pretty much the whole time. While it was definitely a nostalgia trip for me, there is plenty here for kids who might not be as familiar with the Muppets to enjoy. There were a lot of kids in the audience I saw it with and they loved it just much as the adults. Walter, the new Muppet, fits right in with the rest of the gang and Jason Segal and Amy Adams hold their own as well. As it wouldn't be a Muppet movie without them, there are also plenty of great cameos. If you're looking for something to watch this week, this is definitely the one to go with. I know I'll be seeing it again.

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/11/21/the-muppets#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16464 My Favorite Veteran http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/11/11/my-favorite-veteran Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:03:00 +0000 brendoman Anything Else 16459@http://www.brendoman.com/ <div class="image_block"><img src="http://www.brendoman.com/images/Nv17-001.jpg" alt="" title="" /></div> <p>It's coming up on the anniversary of my dad's death. I can't believe it's been 18 years. The last few years I've decided to spend some time on Veteran's day remembering him instead of that horrible anniversary. I think he would have wanted it that way. He was extremely proud of his service to this country. My uncle and grandfather are both navy veterans as well and let's not forget our very own Gringo. Here's to all you veterans out there.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div>

It's coming up on the anniversary of my dad's death. I can't believe it's been 18 years. The last few years I've decided to spend some time on Veteran's day remembering him instead of that horrible anniversary. I think he would have wanted it that way. He was extremely proud of his service to this country. My uncle and grandfather are both navy veterans as well and let's not forget our very own Gringo. Here's to all you veterans out there.

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/11/11/my-favorite-veteran#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16459 Awesome/Not Awesome http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/11/10/awesome-not-awesome-4 Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:03:00 +0000 brendoman Anything Else 16457@http://www.brendoman.com/ <p>Hello there. Yes, I know it has been awhile. Work is NUTS. I am getting ready to move to Irvine. Skyrim comes out tomorrow. That is about it.</p> <p><str>Awesome</str></p> <ul> <li>Skyrim</li> <li><a href="http://craphound.com">Free Corey Doctorow ebooks</a></li> <li>Stephen King's new novel, <em>11 22 63</em>. I don't want to spoil anything, but the main character goes to Derry in September of 1958 in the beginning of the book. It's awesome.</li> <li>WoW heirloom gear. Makes leveling go crazy fast. Where have you been all my life?</li> <li>Spotify</li> </ul> <p><strong>Not Awesome</strong></p> <ul> <li>I have nothing to complain about right now. Come back later.</li> </ul> <p>I really want to make this a Wordpress blog. I feel like I would use it more if I did, but that's probably wishful thinking. So I'm thinking of ways to make that possible. We'll see. Oh, I am really excited about The Muppets. And the Pete and Pete Reunion I am going to next week. Seriously, holy crap.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div> Hello there. Yes, I know it has been awhile. Work is NUTS. I am getting ready to move to Irvine. Skyrim comes out tomorrow. That is about it.

Awesome

  • Skyrim
  • Free Corey Doctorow ebooks
  • Stephen King's new novel, 11 22 63. I don't want to spoil anything, but the main character goes to Derry in September of 1958 in the beginning of the book. It's awesome.
  • WoW heirloom gear. Makes leveling go crazy fast. Where have you been all my life?
  • Spotify

Not Awesome

  • I have nothing to complain about right now. Come back later.

I really want to make this a Wordpress blog. I feel like I would use it more if I did, but that's probably wishful thinking. So I'm thinking of ways to make that possible. We'll see. Oh, I am really excited about The Muppets. And the Pete and Pete Reunion I am going to next week. Seriously, holy crap.

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/11/10/awesome-not-awesome-4#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16457 The Brax Book Is Here! http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/10/12/the-brax-book-is-here Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:54:00 +0000 brendoman Site News Books Anything Else Comics 16444@http://www.brendoman.com/ <div class="image_block"><a href="http://www.brendoman.com/media/blogs/b/302241_261817857190971_100000882750033_789381_914669676_n.jpg?mtime=1318441700"><img alt="" src="http://www.brendoman.com/media/blogs/b/302241_261817857190971_100000882750033_789381_914669676_n.jpg?mtime=1318441700" width="640" height="480" /></a></div> <p>Phil and I are pleased to announce that <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/brax-the-alien-rocker-presents-tales-from-planet-earth-volume-1/17793015?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1">Brax The Alien Rocker Presents: Tales From Planet Earth Volume 1</a> is available for purchase. We got our first copy and it looks even more awesome than I thought it would. Thanks to <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com">Wil Wheaton</a> for recommending <a href="http://lulu.com">Lulu</a> for on-demand publishing. HUGE thanks to my cousin, <a href="http://blackcatscomic.com">Jeremy</a> for the awesome cover art. It turned out really great. Thanks to everyone who supported us in this ordeal as well. Now that we figured out how to do it, the next book should hopefully get finished a lot faster. You can order the book <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/brax-the-alien-rocker-presents-tales-from-planet-earth-volume-1/17793015?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1">here</a> and it will also soon be available on Amazon. Please tell your friends or anyone else you know that likes comics, music, or cool things in general.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small>Powered by <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div>

Phil and I are pleased to announce that Brax The Alien Rocker Presents: Tales From Planet Earth Volume 1 is available for purchase. We got our first copy and it looks even more awesome than I thought it would. Thanks to Wil Wheaton for recommending Lulu for on-demand publishing. HUGE thanks to my cousin, Jeremy for the awesome cover art. It turned out really great. Thanks to everyone who supported us in this ordeal as well. Now that we figured out how to do it, the next book should hopefully get finished a lot faster. You can order the book here and it will also soon be available on Amazon. Please tell your friends or anyone else you know that likes comics, music, or cool things in general.

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]]> http://www.brendoman.com/index.php/2011/10/12/the-brax-book-is-here#comments http://www.brendoman.com/index.php?tempskin=_rss2&disp=comments&p=16444