So....I've been medically cleared for my deployment and it looks like this Antarctica gig is really going down!

My last day of work was 8/29 and now its time to enjoy some much needed vacation and gear up for the ice.  It seems like only a few short weeks ago that I found the job on monster.com and sent out my resume.  I never thought that one click of a mouse would set into motion events that will take my life in such a dramatically different direction.

I have the unshakable feeling that I am on the verge of something fantastic..and at times I just cant seem to stop smiling, as if I have some secret that no one else would understand.

Well, that's all for now, time to finish packing up my household goods and put in that order with Smartwool :-)

I'll check back soon...

-Claude

This pretty much sums up what I learnt during my 3 day trip to Colorado which included one failed attempt at a 14er (Mt. Elbert) due to hostile weather, one successful attempt at a 14er the next day (Maroon peak) inspite of hostile weather and some places of sight-seeing like Aspen, Hanging Lake and Nederland around Boulder.

In arguably one of the most beautiful places here and unarguably the heaven for hikers, we climbed a total of around 10,000 feet over 3 days reaching altitudes of around 14,000 feet twice. Pictures will readily be shared on request [:)]

P.S. : Apologies for the hiatus due to the trip. I might be posting intermittently this month.

I hadn't thought much about this until I began reading reports of arctic ice shrinkage from The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), a quasi-governmental organization that has been "supporting cryospheric research since 1976" from its headquarters at the University of Colorado in Boulder. It's shocking news, really. Not only is there an organization that has been freezing dead people for more than three decades, it's all being done at taxpayer expense. This certainly lends credence to the incessant rumors of well-to-do near-death citizens being frozen for later revival-people like Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, and vice presidential hopeful Joe Biden-once medical science has advanced to the point where it can defrost something in a microwave oven without half cooking it.

The NSIDC issued a chilling press release on August 26, 2008, bemoaning the shrinking of arctic sea ice to nearly half of its 1980 levels. Although the extent of the Arctic Ocean ice coverage is still over two million square miles, an extrapolation of the data leads to an inescapable and frightening conclusion: the Arctic Ocean has ice in it. It's essential government-issued news like this that could have saved both the Titanic and Leonardo DiCaprio from certain destruction and overacting.

The press release included colorful charts and downward-trending graphs all based on such dubious sources as "actual readings" and "satellite monitoring" solely to drum up a mainstream-media-driven Global Warming Frenzy, which would be a great name for a Starbucks blended ice drink. The problem I have with such reports is that they always extrapolate forward in time, never back, as if there is something extra special about forward. Sure the data says that there won't be any summer-time ice at the North Pole by the end of the century. But their refusal to only extend the data halfway hides a shocking truth from the general public: 12,000 years ago, ice completely covered The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.

I think the NSIDC-which can be ominously rearranged to spell "DC Sin"-has some explaining to do. What has it been doing with all that snow and ice that used to cover its campus? What type of maniacal evil was it cooking up before it began its expertise in "cryospheric research" three decades ago? When is it going to start regular monthly financial deposits into my PayPal account to keep me quiet?

While the backward-looking outlook for arctic ice is excellent, I do share some of the government's concern for future reduced ice coverage. It was only a week ago that, in a foreshadowing of the coming collapse of the North American Free Trade Agreement, my local Taco Bell's soda refill station ran out of ice. And I once stayed in a hotel where a sign on the ice dispenser warned, "Do not fill ice chests." If even two-star hotels are starting to hoard ice, what hope do we have?

And what about batteries, which I suddenly remembered was the point of this article? If the predictions of ice loss at the North Pole are as dire as I've been reading, Jolly Old Saint Nick will soon be bobbing in the Arctic Ocean like one of those red and white fishing bobbers that bobs in oceans like the Arctic Ocean. Without Santa Claus to build and deliver his patent-pending batteries-not-included toys, the market for AA, AAA, and even Eveready brand 9-volt "lightening cat" batteries with its Nine Long Lives for One Low Price will surely plummet.

Looking to the government for solutions isn't going to work this time. All three branches of the federal government-the legislative, the judicial, and that other one-are in cahoots with NSIDC. Barack Obama, despite his outward show of environmental concern, continues to claim that ice cubes are "above my pay grade." And don't get me started with John McCain's VP selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and her ties to "Big Ice."

It's time for the citizens of this great nation to rise up, to escape the chains that have bound them to unreasonable ice policies of the past. It's time for each of us to do something that will make a difference, something that will bring us to a time when we no longer need to worry about things like shrinking arctic ice and Boulder, Colorado.

I hope they'll be able to thaw me out safely by then.

If I still worked within Boulder city limits, I'd stick to a strict diet of these beauties:

Real Baby just opened a store in Boulder and I was delighted to see that they carry recycled plastic toys and a few organic clothing items by Speesees. While it would be great to see a larger eco/organic selection, I'll wait for them to be in business for more than 10 days before I start making suggestions...

I picked up this little Chik bodysuit for a friend who's expecting a baby girl:

Check 'em out!

I rented a LeMond road bike from University Bikes last week, so I could try riding to my office in Louisville. I've really never experienced the speed of a road bike and it was fabulous! For more than 5 years I've been commuting around town on a cruiser, which is luxuriously comfortable but, as I confirmed last week, boasts a very low input/output ratio.

My experience was no doubt enhanced by the guys at University Bikes who perfectly adjusted every aspect of my bike and helmet. And my peeps from work who showed me a route to the office that included more trails than traffic. In general, the speed of the road bike was absolutely addicting, and I must say I was rather sad about returning the bike at the end of the week. If you've considered commuting via bicycle, renting is a great way to try several different types of bikes and routes--I suspect you'll be pleasantly surprised!

While I don't foresee pieces of spandex being added to my wardrobe (ever), I will be keeping my eyes on the Craiglist bikes page...

At this point, I'm only making the commitment to foster the puppy, so "returning" is still an option. However, I'm already thinking about names and researching the Labrador Retriever breed in general, so we can all imagine how things will progress from here...

If I overcome my commitment issues and head down the primrose path, pictures will certainly be posted here. For now, here's a random shot I found online:

_________

Ads pushing Iran strike show Denver under missile attack from Boulder

08/29/2008 @ 11:26 am

Filed by John Byrne

A nonprofit lobbying organization aimed at strengthening Israel's image in the media quietly ran ads during the Democratic National Convention in which Boulder, Colorado launches missile attacks on Denver, in an attempt to bolster support for Israeli action against Iran.

Today, The Israel Project released a survey showing that 63 percent of Americans support an Israeli "surgical" strike on Iran's purported nuclear facilities, with 55 percent supporting America's participation in such a strike. The poll, however, did not note the organization's effort to lobby those being polled.

The Boulder attack ad shows a map of Denver being hit by flaming missiles, then an image of Israel being hit by the same weapons. It then displays an image of Iran, followed by ominous missile launches, a photograph of a man with a black hood over his face, Iran's president, and a silhouetted traveler with a suitcase.

"The Time for World Leaders to Act Is Now," it concludes.

The group is also running ads during the Republican National Convention tying US support for Israel to lessening America's reliance on "Mid-East oil."

Video of an Israeli man getting into a car runs next to an American boarding a similar vehicle. The frames follow with the line, "Developing Solar, Wind & Electric Car Technology."

Both ads appear below. They are slated to run on cable news networks 1,300 times during the two conventions.

Israel remains the top recipient of US foreign aid. In February, President Bush requested Congress approve an aid budget of $20 billion, a 12 percent increase over 2007. Egypt is the second largest recipient, at about $1.5 billion. Israel has plowed US money into developing technology companies and buying US weapons, and has emerged as one of the fastest-growing players in the security and defense technology industry.

According to their website, "The Israel Project (TIP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that works to strengthen Israel's image in the media. TIP is currently working in the United States, Europe and Israel."

The poll cites "a growing concern in the US of the possibility that Iran would be able to possess actual nuclear capabilities: About 87% of those polled said a nuclear Iran will pose a threat to the US and 96% believe it would be of imminent threat to Israel," YNet News writes.

90 percent of those surveyed by the project's poll said Iran would sell its nuclear weapons if it obtained them.

62 percent, however, "said they believed the world can still find a "diplomatic solution which would make Iran halt its nuclear endeavors."

Source: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Ads_pushing_Iran_strike_show_Denver_0829.html

Then, on the horizon, home (not to mention a change of scenery).

About 30 miles north of downtown Denver, signs of the Democratic National Convention appear through the bustling crowds of new and returning students on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. Posters and signs pinned to bulletin boards and plastered throughout campus announce DNC events and marches. Outside the main student center, a CNN Election Express Yourself trailer sits next to a booth for the Campaign for Change.

This first week of school for CU students has not stopped them from participating and making an appearance at the convention. My public relations professor even shortened our first class period due to the number of students attending the DNC.

Edie Hulings, a 19-year-old environmental studies and sociology major, headed to downtown Denver Monday to see the Manifest Hope Gallery, which displays art inspired by Barack Obama. After visiting the gallery, she and several other students protested the presence of the police and SWAT team, chanting, “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?”

“No one had the intention to protest. It just happened,” she said. “…We talked about how there should be a dialogue between us and the police and actual communication instead of both literal and figurative barriers between the two.”

The week of the DNC was an ideal time for the CNN Election Express Yourself tour and the Campaign for Change to reach CU students. The CNN tour set up an elaborate display on campus with video kiosks and a political graffiti wall and handed out free magnets with political words on them such as “Freedom” and “Voice.” The CNN tour is traveling around the nation and signing people up for the League of First Time Voters, which aims to connect and provide resources for first-time voters.

The Campaign for Change aimed to register as many student voters as possible and increase political awareness. They registered over 150 voters in one day.

“We are students and want our message to be heard,” said Dan Roiter, 21, the team captain for the Campaign for Change. “It’s our time to set up the base now for our future.”

Roiter attended Obama’s speech Thursday night at Invesco Field at Mile High and was thrilled to have the opportunity to “witness history in the making.”

“It was the most moving experience of my life,” Roiter said.

]]> http://careyjones.wordpress.com/?p=132 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:15:04 +0000 careyjones http://careyjones.wordpress.com/?p=132

Cornbread. Red onion. Capers. Foie gras. All tend to pop up on dinner menus—rather than on the ice cream list. Not so for Peter Arendsen, the Boulder-based wizard of Ice Cream Alchemy, who believes that any ingredient can inspire a frozen treat.

You won’t find his creations on a cone or in the freezer case. Instead, Arendsen blends custom gallons for area restaurants and catered Colorado events to transform any garnish, flavor, or concept into an ice cream. For the bouillabaisse at Brasserie Ten Ten of Boulder, he created tiny scoops of rouille. As a barbeque-inspired side, he made chunky cornbread ice cream, dotted with chives and cheddar cheese. And for a catered brunch? Lox, caper, and everything bagel—a classic trio served as aspumoni. His ice creams have made it to dessert menus, like the scoops of mascarpone topping beignets at the Empire Lounge in Louisville. But it's the spectacular white truffle and aji pepper that have won him notoriety.

Having worked as everything from an electrician to an MCI business analyst, Arendsen never felt satisfied. So he abandoned more conventional career aspirations and trusted in his sweet tooth, buying a corner parlor and churning each gallon himself.

But the simplicity of the scoop shop didn’t suit him. “I got tired of making Cookies & Cream and Cookie Dough,” he says. “I discovered restaurants as a creative outlet, and made friends with some incredibly talented chefs.” With some on-the-ground training, he quickly learned to tone down the sweetness and play up each ingredient. The result? Ice creams that evoke flavor, rather than sugar.

While Arendsen can’t name one favorite flavor, his bacon pineapple would be in the running: a choice that’s hard to dispute. The pineapple ice cream is tangy but not tart, brightening the sizeable chunks of smoky, salty bacon. 

Interested? Check out Peter's website or shoot him an email. While his concoctions have only appeared in area restaurants thus far, the Alchemist is looking to expand his reach to both coasts, and has the shipping capacity to get his ice cream to any chef in the nation, or any customer placing a four-gallon minimum order of whatever flavor—on or off his 200-strong list—they desire.

Ice Cream Alchemy: GigaChef

From the first day I came to visit Omer here, I knew this was the place for me. Now, after four years, I must end this chapter of my life...

But before I leave, I wanted to some up the last four years into one word...okay, fine, two words: Fucking incredible. I normally wouldn't use such a vulgar word, but nothing emphasizes how I feel quite as well as the F word.

Prestigie e pratique o mínimo impacto (http://www.pegaleve.org.br/)

Today we drove, drove, drove all the way to Boulder, Colorado. We're staying with our friend Kim's cousin, Kristin, and all of her roommates. Kudos to them for getting us out of our van and onto some couches. Mad ups to the people of Boulder.

Tomorrow, we'll be commuting to Denver to work at the SAME Cafe. SAME stands for So All May Eat. They're an awesome organization that is a pay what you can cafe that's always serving and always busy. We'll be sure to check out the Democratic Convention while we're in town and yell at delegates and stuff.

Also, here's a new video today about one of our experiences in Seattle, WA. We were working with InterConnection, a group that does work rebuilding computers and giving them to those in need. The best part is volunteers are rewarded after 60 hours of work with a computer of their own! Enjoy! (Be sure to check out the competition Tim go into while we were there.)

Thanks,

James

There will be a bus available for those who only want to ride part or not at all. Please RSVP for an accurate head count.

Download the Flyer

Ramping up to Governor Schweitzer and Hillary Clinton's speeches, I thought I'd reflect on our touching down in the mile-high city, and some commentary on what I think are first-rate backyards in the Cheasman Park and Washington Park areas, and some fortified backyards in Boulder. Those scare me for Missoula's future and for the future of OUR backyards.

We got into town last night and danced our backyarder-booties off on east 13th street at a club called the Snake Pit Lounge. We got completely knee-walkin-cross-the-backyard drunk while DJ Skunk had everybody in shake-down mode. It was like the 70's but much more intense. I've got to hand it to these Denverites: they know how to keep the backyards of lower-downtown and East 13th pumping well into the morning.

From East 13th, I stumbled west toward's lincoln Avenue, and ended up at a most lively indoor backyard called Club Vinyl. It was a religous backyard experience for me that I cannot describe. I saw things there, and also very intensely through my rangefinders from the VIP overlook, that changed how I view backyards. It broke the boundaries of what I thought possible for backyards. The love. The harmony. The drugs.

I will be taking a stand to renew the Red Light Green Room in the near future. Watch out Mr. Wischkamper. I want my disco back.

That's right. Religous disco in my range finders.

Sorry. I haven't slept. I've also been on drugs in Denver. Yep.

This morning we also saw some well-protected back yards in Boulder. Those made me worry about Missoula's future, and about whether we'll be able to keep our yuppie roots intact and our backyards well-watered. I peered through my rangefinders from Highway 36, and spied seamless streams of development that made me feel depressed. I had also taken drugs at the snakepit that made my new friend Carey look like a purple dwarf. He flipped me off several times. I think.

Today we've been settling into an overpriced hotel room, and trying to avoid the mass-establishment of bloggers crammed into tight surroundings at a complimentary lower downtown location described in better detail at Newwest.net (careful about the maps) and 4and20.

In any event, I'm still waiting tirelessly for any of these political speeches to mention some kind of issue that affect us here Left of the Mountain city. Perhaps Schweitzer will answer...

The group this year is heavy on consumer facing products and technologies. I discussed this with a few people and this seems to reflect the Boulder/Denver technology scene. Here are my observations on the companies and their presentations.

Best positioned for their target markets
• Devver: Provides cloud based testing and developer productivity tools. I really like this product, and it was the one company within the group this year doing traditional enterprise software aimed at an IT audience. The concept is very simple but powerful, and besides saving set up costs and time for the developer I think the founders should push the IT governance angle. In a lot of cases developers just do not run tests because it is a pain, but by using Devver it might be easier for an IT group to enforce running tests as part of the check-in script process.
• App-X: Provides software as a service to venture capital and private equity fund managers. The product is built out on the Salesforce.com platform and appears to be well thought out for the target customer. They already have 12 customers and it would seem with the right focus and funding they could establish a nice business in this niche market.
• Foodzie: Provides an online marketplace where consumers can discover and buy food directly from small artisan producers. I could see this working very well in medium to larger communities where there are enough local food providers to support micro-sites, for example the “Boulder Foodzie Marketplace”. In addition, this seems like a nice way to get access to food providers from across the country if you do not mind paying the shipping costs.

New take on an existing market concept
• Ignightor: Group to group on-line dating. This was a great presentation and it is obvious that this team is very passionate about this concept. I got it immediately and I think that if they can get momentum it has a real chance of being successful. It would be interesting to see if they can broaden the target market beyond the 18-30 single crowds to a more diverse audience. It would seem this could be aimed at parents looking for play dates, to people looking for hiking or running partners or any group activity.
• Travelfli: This is the organizer for all your frequent flier programs so you can track them at one website and more easily redeem your miles or points for flights, rooms, cars, etc. I could use this now so I can track things more easily, especially programs that I use only once in a blue moon and always forget my username and password to the website. I think they will have to move really fast though as this seems like concept that has a low barrier to entry.

The wow demo of the day
• Occipital: This was one of those demos where you just go wow and the geek in you wonders how big a science project is behind the demo. This is meant to be a new and improved way to manage your digital imagery by using artificial intelligence to organize your photo stream, enabling vivid recollection with groundbreaking visualizations. I loved the auto-tagging and auto-object recognition. Object recognition scans your photos and finds known objects, say the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco or Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver.

Additional companies that presented
• Gyminee: Social networking meets working out. They already have 35K users and are growing.
• People's Software Company: Local advertising platform meets platform independent messaging and calendaring notifications.
• Highwaygirl.com: Content play aimed at independent music artists and their audiences with exclusive content and intimate interaction. Leveraging Topspin for backend capabilities.
• Buy Play Win: eCommerce platform where you get a chance to win your purchase

My travel day went as well as should be expected. Though I did not have the fortune of sitting next to a delegate or a celebrity on the way over here (someone had Spike Lee on their flight), I did sit next to a nice lady who was on her way to the convention via Xerox and was going with marching orders to make copies of anything convention related. So for all of you interns out there: there is hope! You can use the "skill" of copying pro!

But before I even got on the flight, I staked my claim in terminal D9 scouting out potential JSAers. One girl complimented me on my shoes and, as it happened, I was sitting in the same row as another girl. Little did I know at the time that these two potentials would end up being my roommates. Who knew?

The official name of what I am doing here is the 2008 Democratic National Convention Symposium and, seeing as we are not a group of delegates, the 2008 DNC Symposium was welcomed to the Millennium hotel in Boulder CO with open arms. Don't take that as a scoff for Boulder, though: I quickly located the closest Starbucks and Einstein Bagel. Sadly, I doubt I am going to see much more of Boulder because between our packed days in Denver and slee... oh wait... I was going to say sleeping, but seeing as it is my first night and I have to be up in about 4 hours suggests that I will not be doing much of that.

Let's just hope that the coffee kicks in soon.

By far the highlight of the day was receiving my complete and extremely detailed schedule for the week. Now, I would share this information and give a little preview as to what I am going to be doing, but that ruins the element of suprise. But for those skeptics and believers out there who want something to chew on, we are hearing from a plethora of people including someone old, someone new, someone borrowed from Obama's campaign and someone who is blue after losing a presidential election back during another unpopular war.

To help us navigate through the hustle and bustle of downtown Denver, JSA has taken the time to organize us into "pods." A "Pod" is the group of kids that we walk around with and it is organized by state. Now, when I say organized by state, I mean that they are organized according to the closeness of the hotels that are delegations are staying at. Sadly, the Pennsylvania delegation does not seem to carry much pull with the hotel heirs and/or the Democratic National Convention Committee, because my pod is a bit, shall we say, assorted: Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. So my pod is quite the bag of mixed nuts, but never fear- I met some of the Minnesotans and they are ready to rumble.

I know I said that I wasn't going to divulge any of the headliners in our playbill, but I will say that the reason I need to wake up in what is now 3 and a half hours is because tomorrow, we have the equivalent of breakfast with the Disney Princesses in Cinderella's Castle; we are having breakfast with delegates from our states.

But, this is not merely a photo-up with some syrup. Tomorrow, I will attempt the same feat attempted by Charlie Bucket in countless movies and books: I am going to go on a quest for a golden ticket. But this golden ticket goes around your neck, and instead of getting me into a chocolate factory to see Willy Wonka, it gets me into the Pepsi Center to see some of the greatest thinkers and orators of our time give the historical speeches which most people will have to dutifully watch on CNN.

Yes, I am talking about credentials. The delegates have them and I want them, so I will work all the charms my mother gave me to get them (in a completely platonic way of course).

But don't fret. If at first you don't succeed, try to smooze with them again. We have another ulterior-motive- driven breakfast on Tuesday where I will continue to work my charms, credentials or not. And if I don't get on the floor tomorrow night, I will watch the speeches on C-SPAN just like you guys, except I will be at a watch party at the hustle-y bustle-y convention center. Now, as my eyes begin to close and my head begins to subtly turn off, I want to end by sending a little welcoming shoutout over to "Shipped to the DNC with Dan." Since he is from Jersey, he is in a legit Pod with Hawaii and Guam, so hopefully he will be able to interject with breakfast food for thought from the Jersey delegation. But, I must say our brief meeting was quite cordial, so I would not hold my breath for a blogger summer smackdown.

So as it is almost time for me to wake up, I have resolved to try and cherish the few hours of sleep I can. But stay tuned for the next episode where we find out what features and creatures I see tomorrow and if I succeed in my quest for DNC gold.