Welcome to Blake Harrison .com

Occupy Bagram Protesters

2011-11-21T09:59:00.002-05:00

Occupy Bagram (Afghanistan) Protesters.
Now this is a message I can get behind!

Powerthirst

2011-01-24T09:34:00.000-05:00

Energy for men. Menergy! My favorite flavor is RawBerry

Charles Bronson in: Killing Hipsters

2011-01-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

Snatch Wars - Brick Vader

2010-03-31T10:35:00.000-04:00

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich

2010-02-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich

Enough said

Blackhawk Tactical Gear at ReactGear.com

2010-01-04T11:41:00.002-05:00

Shop for Blackhawk Tactical Gear at ReactGear.com

WWTDD on Veterans Day

2009-11-11T15:49:00.004-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows my favorite site is www.WWTDD.com, it just makes me laugh.

Here is his take on veterans day:

Today of course is Veterans Day in the US, where we honor the awesome killing power of the American military and the god like race of supermen who defend us. Our military is so advanced and our soldiers so superior that if our government wasn’t filled with such panicky little girls they could go to war with any country on Earth and it would be the equivalent of Zeus throwing lighting down on the trembling peasants below.

Most people in Hollywood look down on the military because they’re pussies who want you to believe problems can’t be solved by kicking the other persons ass. Rest assured that any guy who ever says that has witnessed first hand as violence solved quite a few problems, but maybe can’t see it that way because he was the problem. When someone says violence never solves anything, what they really mean is, “oh please god stop hitting me.”

I wish we had big parades today like the Russians used to where they showed off all their missiles and tanks and guns and stuff. Then other countries would know how badass we are. Unless you’re Darth Maul, an American soldier can kill you before you even have time to wonder what that splashing sound is (note: your intestines + the ground). They’ll kill you even if you are Darth Maul, but you could probably fight them off long enough to shit your pants, so I guess that’s something.

Click Here for the entire WWTDD article

Why Is Palau In Every US State Drop Down

2009-09-18T14:18:00.006-04:00

Ok, so anytime I do anything online where they ask my state I get into that drop down and hit "P" as I live in Pennsylvania. Without fail the first state to come up is fucking Palau. After about the millionth time this has happened to me I decided to research it.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Palau:

Palau - officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles south of Tokyo. Having emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States) in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and smallest sovereign states.

The Compact of Free Association between the United States and Palau sets forth the free and voluntary association of their Governments,and is primarily focused on the issues of government relations, economic relations, and security and defense relations.Palau' has no independent military, and relies on the United States for its defense. Under the Compact, the American military has been granted access to the islands for 50 years.

Ok so it's some small ass non US country that let's us use it for military operations because it doesn't have a military of it's own. That still doesn't explain why Palau needs to be in every frigging state drop down.

Wikipedia goes on to note that there are 20,000 people on Palau, just for reference the US currently has 307,418,000 people so Palau is roughly 0.007% the size of the US. Our smallest state in terms of population is Wyoming (I know I thought it would be Rhode Island) with 532,668 people, so Palau is 4% of Wyoming. I sorta forgot where I was going with this but the point is Palau is some shit little country in the middle of the ocean and doesn't need to be in every state drop down.

BlackBerry Tour

2009-09-12T11:32:00.001-04:00

As you may know from one of my earlier posts I had a BlackBerry Curve 8330 on Verzion as was rather irritated that the GPS was disabled so Verizon could push its own navigation product. Well not the case with the BlackBerry Tour 9630! You can use the GPS with any program you want and it also appears as if the phone uses a GSM card allowing you to transfer your phone to any unlocked GSM capable phone! UPDATE: you can not use the GSM card in an unlocked phone. Not sure why, interesting that it says vodafone on the GSM card though.

Willmington Greek Festival Fall 2009

2009-08-30T11:28:00.004-04:00

The good people over at Holy Trinity Church are bringing us the first ever Fall Willmington Greek Festival. Not only that there will be Gyros all day!

They are calling it the Greek Glendi

Back by Popular demand, we bring you 2 days the first weekend of October to party with the Greeks!

Join us Friday and Saturday October 2nd and 3rd from 11:00am to 11:00pm where we will be serving the famous Wilmington gyro and greek beer all day long! The Glendi opens at 11:00am on Friday and runs for 12 hours both days!

Friday there is even a shuttle bus from 9th and Market St during Lunch hour. We will even be serving Loukoumades or "Greek Honey Ball" and other pastries. We will also have a select of other mouth watering greek foods, fo plan on stopping by to celebrate the fall!

www.holytrinitywilmington.org

PC Tools is a Scam

2009-08-12T09:40:00.003-04:00

Last year I had some spyware that crept onto my system so I went to Cnet and downloaded PC Tools spyware doctor onto my computer. After installing the tool told me I had to pay to fix the computer, so I did. Once I removed the spyware I uninstalled the software never to give it another thought until I received an email stating my credit card had been charged for my recurring subscription to spywre doctor I checked my credit card statement last week to find that indeed they did charge. I went to the site only to find there is no customer service or other number to call, no way to cancel my recurring subscription and basically no way to get out of this. Luckily my credit card company was nice enough to reverse the charge.

Long story short, Stay away from PC Tools products they will put you in a recurring billing cycle that is impossible to get out of. Basically spyware doctor which preys upon people desperate to rid there PC of spyware is a big scam.

Lehigh Valley Drive Ins

2009-08-10T15:47:00.003-04:00

If you are looking for something fun to do in the Lehigh Valley with a little nostalgia, try taking in a movie at the Drive In. The sound plays over your cars stereo via the FM radio, so if you have one of the more modern car audio systems the movie really rocks! Its a cool way to see a movie and the concession stand will bring you back to your childhood through both assortment and price.

Both the places below are pretty damn cool Lehigh Valley Drive Ins to go to:

Becky's Drive-In
4548 Lehigh Drive
Walnutport, PA 18088
P: 610-767-2249

Shankweiler's Drive-In
4540 Shankweiler Road
Orefield, PA 18069
P: 610-481-0800

Facebook Archetype Observations

2009-08-06T11:55:00.000-04:00

So I have noticed two very distinct archetypes within my Facebook friends:

The first group are old friends who have since gotten married, had kids and otherwise settled down. You can tell who these people are because their wall is full of pics of their adorable kids in different outfits and locations. If they don't have kids, they post pics of dogs or sometimes both kids and dogs.

The second group are friends who remained single and firmly committed to going out taking spring break esque vacations and keeping happy hour alive. These friends status updates reference a different location every week, such as: "vegas this week", "atlantic city this weekend" "heading to the shore with my girls" and their pics reflect these trips. Strange as it may seem these are normally my girl friends.

Both groups while separate serve a very important need on Facebook.

The Goods - Live Hard Sell Hard

2009-07-24T13:04:00.002-04:00

The Goods, looks hillarious!

Great role for Jeremy Piven.

Check out the restriced clips on the site
www.livehardsellhard.com

The Recession Aggression Bag

2009-07-21T13:01:00.002-04:00

Funny commercial spoof from Office Depot.

I love the list of things you can do to the Recession Aggression Bag

Japanese Bug Fights

2009-06-12T12:12:00.002-04:00

This might be the awesomest thing I have seen ever....

Japanese Bug Fights

Wilimington Delaware Greek Festival

2009-05-18T10:41:00.002-04:00

Don't miss the 2009 Wilmington Delaware Greek Festival (6/2 - 6/5)

Wilmington Greek Festival Website

Who can turn down gyros, baklava and drinking outside

Facebook Profile Pictures of Your Kids or Pets

2009-04-20T19:46:00.001-04:00

People - Stop using pictures of your baby children and/or pets as your facebook default picture.

Ok I realize that some people may be new to the whole facebook thing but you would have thought myspace prepared people for this. Lately a lot of my old friends (high school and otherwise) have found me on facebook. More often than not I do not remember them as they may be younger than me and I certainly wont remember them if its a girl and she has gotten married and therefore changed her last name. But when they set there default profile picture to an adorable shot of there 2 yr old kid or puppy, I got no clue. Its your facebook page so do with it what you will, but if you are going to use it for what's it was designed for (connecting people and content) then try to at least have a pic of yourself up there...

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile

2009-04-14T15:15:00.002-04:00

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

My favorite thing is that she likes car chases on the PCH and has 20k marlboro miles.

Happy Birthday Chuck Norris

2009-03-10T16:48:00.002-04:00

In honor of Chuck Norris's 69th Birthday here are the classic Chuck Norris Facts:

Chuck Norris Facts

Guido Beach - New Jersey

2009-02-25T10:15:00.001-05:00

Very true and very funny

This is the way to sell a car

2009-01-31T09:52:00.003-05:00

So one of my friends sent me this advertisement he found in craigslist for a used BMW, I must say if you want to sell your car this is the way to do it!

OK, let me start off by saying this BMW is only available for purchase by the manliest of men. My friend, if it was possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this BMW would look likeTom Selleck. It is just that manly.

It was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you had your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Linens & Things. No, that's what your Prius is for. If that's the kind of car you're looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. I mean it. Just stop.

This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Germany to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated leather seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or OnStar (real men don't even know what the hell On Star is).

No, this brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It has a 280 HP engine to outrun the cops. It's got special blood/gore resistant upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you're operating on yourself. The BMW also has an automatic transmission so if you're being chased by Libyan terrorists, you'll still be able to shoot your machine gun out the window and drive at the same time. It's saved my bacon more than once.

It has room for you and the four hotties you picked up on the way to the gym to blast your pecs and hammer your glutes. There's enough horse-power to pull your 50 caliber anti-Taliban, self cooling machinegun. I also just put in a new windshield to replace the one that got shot out by The Man.

My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $25,900, but I'll entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $5,000 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphincter-kick with a follow up three fingered eye-jab. Would it hurt? Hell yeah. Let's just say you won't be the prettiest guy at the Coldplay concert anymore.

There's only 69,000 miles on this hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me,it will out live you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo.

Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it's a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho Chuck Norris stunt double, then contact me. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my ladies, but I'll get back to you. And when I do, we'll talk about a price over a nice glass of Schmidt while we listen to Johnny Cash.

To sweeten the deal a little, I'm throwing in this pair of MC Hammer pants for the man with rippling quads that can't fit into regular pants. Yeah, you heard me. FREE MC Hammer pants.

Rock on.

Why We Suck

2009-01-30T13:50:00.001-05:00

I have always been a big fan of Learys since he did his first MTV commercials so I decided to get the audio verison of his book for a road trip I had planned. Dr Denis Leary's book is hilarious as a cutting look at today's culture and how it has changed some of Americas core mores, folkways and traditions. He gets into his family and childhood pretty heavily but only to highlight how skewed today's society is.

All in all a very funny book.

Check it out on Amazon or download it on iTunes

Jack Donaghys Six Sigmas

2009-01-26T13:51:00.005-05:00

In last week's 30 Rock Alec Baldwin's character "Jack Donaghy" went to the annual GE retreat entitled "Retreat to Move Forward" and went over the Six Sigmas. After much tivo rewinding here they are:

Teamwork
Insight
Brutality
Male Enhancement
Handshakefullness
Play Hard

I think my favorite is Handshakefullness.

Just in case you care (and I can't believe you do since you are reading my blog) six sigma refers to a process that has 99.9997% efficiency (3.4 Defects Per Million Opportunities), so in reality there is no such thing as the Six Sigmas it just a name for the process that results in the greatest efficiency.

If you really care here is the wikipedia article

Sure To Be The Best Movie This Summer

2009-01-23T20:15:00.003-05:00

This movie looks awesome.

Black Dynamite

Muse Closed

2009-01-13T10:35:00.003-05:00

Muse restaurant in Morristown, NJ is now closed.

Muse was one of my favorite restaurants and certainly the best Greek food in the area.

The website is still up http://www.musenj.com/ for some reason but rest assured Muse is now closed.

New Year's Eve Pics and Video

2009-01-02T15:12:00.002-05:00

Pics and Video from New Years at the Naspinskys

Pics:
http://blakeharrison.com/blake/NaspinskyNYE2009/

Kung Fu Fighting Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9aZbsZpz0A

NORAD Santa Tracker

2008-12-24T20:53:00.002-05:00

According to NORAD's Santa Tracker, Santa is on his way

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

I just love that they take the time every year to do this...

The Hard Sell At The Mall

2008-12-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

While doing some Christmas shopping lately it occurred to me that I have never been given the hard sell so many times since my last trip to a Mexican flea market.

I am not sure why the management of a mall would allow their customers to be harassed while walking from store to store but it's pretty annoying.

Trust me if I want some sort of sea salt cream I am plenty capable of walking over and engaging in a discussion you don't need to shout "sir, sir can I ask you a question" (incidentally you just did, so asking if it's OK for a follow up question is a bit redundant)...

Watch Netflix Instantly On Xbox 360

2008-12-11T22:22:00.005-05:00

So if you have any unlimited Netflix plan and a networked Xbox 360 with Xbox Live Gold (or a series 3 Tivo, etc) you can watch certain netflix movies in your que "on demand" for free.

Granted none of the new releases are available but I can now get my Harry Callahan or Corey Haim/Feldman fix anytime I want - Yes they have dirty harry and dream a little dream...

You download the tivo app from the video marketplace on xbox live and it gives you an activation code to enter www.netflix.com/Activate
After that you have instant access to movies in your que that are "instant" enabled.

More info here

There are a couple other devices you can use to access the netflix instant viewing functionality, just check the link above

Blake's Top Chef Advice

2008-11-24T12:05:00.000-05:00

OK, so I know I will never be on top chef (the secret ingredient in most of my food is a spice called "spike" and/or whisky) but I have watched enough episodes to come up with some tips:

1 - Make sure it's delicious.
I think this is the most important part of the competition and all too often we see contestants try to get all fancy with some crazy ingredient or technique and forget to make the dish taste good. Even if it's a little bit simple as long as it tastes really good the judges seem to be happy

2 - If you are going to use sausage or hot dogs make them yourselves
It seems like there is always the opportunity either by choice or by challenge to use some sort of sausage/hot dog product, and anytime someone doesn't make their own (regardless of time constraints) they get nailed. So if you don't have time to make it from scratch pick something else.

3 - Follow the rules of the challenge
All too often contestants seem to flaunt the rules thinking that the judges will be impressed with them not following directions. This probably happens everywhere in life, but in Top Chef you won't win by breaking the rules.

That's all I got for now...

COD: World at War

2008-11-21T17:15:00.006-05:00

I have been playing first person shooters every since Doom and I can honestly say my favorite is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The single player missions are engaging, exciting and varied enough to hold your attention, while they did a great job at making the story very appealing to their target audience.

The next installment in COD came out recently and I finally got a chance to put in some serious controller time on World at War. While a lot of people have mentioned that it's little more than COD4 with a new skin I honestly don't mind. I would much rather another iteration of a successful game than a crappy version of something completely new. Maybe that makes me not adventurous or boring but I really enjoy the current game even if it's basically the same game set in WWII, hey if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So if you liked COD4 and you are disappointed at Mercenaries 2 or Assassin's Creed I recommend picking up a copy of COD: World at War and going to town.

Fedoras

2008-11-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Call me a nerd but I really wish Fedoras would come back into socially acceptable style for the average man so I could pull one off.

I mean yes celebrities can get away with them, but I am talking about more a return to the days of "mad men" when no one left the house without their hat.

Celebrity Politics?

2008-11-03T16:27:00.001-05:00

Ok, so it's a well known fact that most celebrities are egomanics (and if it's not I will gladly prove this theory, just give me the funding), which I guess explains why they feel they must get involved with politics. I mean I could care less what someone who get's paid to "look pretty and smile or remember words" thinks is best for the country. Do they really think because they found a word to rhyme with "going home" that qualifies them to recommend candidates to me?

I am sure it frustrates them that they only get one vote and the only way they can live with themselves is if they convince countless others who are more mindless than them to vote the same way.

In short leave it alone hollywood - no one with any intelligence cares

How To Stay Warm

2008-10-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

FYI coats work by trapping in air which your body heats up thereby keeping you warm...so if you are cold, zip up your coat!

Bluetool

2008-10-24T14:02:00.000-04:00

Honestly is anyone that important that they must constantly walk around with a bluetooth in their ear? They look like some sort of Star Trek wanna be, strutting around with this blinking blue light in their ear...

Bra Sizes

2008-10-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

When did we get all these sizes? i.e. F, G, H etc?

It was always double d as the biggest now all of a sudden I hear about size F or H boobs all the time...

Personally I think those british boobie magazines (Nuts & Loaded) are responsible.

NYSC - No locker rooms

2008-10-15T14:13:00.000-04:00

If anyone frequents the 23rd and Park NYSC, the locker rooms on a rotating schedule till December so if you need a shower (or don't want to change in the old janitor closet) if you are a woman you get the locker room on odd days where as men get it on even. New York Sports Club says the rennovations will be done by the end of November but who knows.

Just a heads up

Fart Soundboard

2008-10-14T16:57:00.000-04:00

This is the greatest thing man has ever done:
Fart Sound Board

I love this fart sound board

Commuter Sites I Would Like To See

2008-10-07T14:09:00.000-04:00

I commute in and out of NY from NJ everyday and here are some site's I would love to see...

www.whythetrainisreallydelayed.com
Instead of just claiming switching problems or equipment failure I would love to know exactly what is causing the regular delays on NJ Transit.

www.lincolnorhollandtunnel.com
This would be an awesome SMS/text or mobile site where you tell it if you are coming to or leaving NYC and tells you which tunnel has the smallest delay

There you go two solid site ideas...somebody develop them

Tramp Stamp Theory

2008-08-20T08:26:00.000-04:00

It is my belief that the bigger the stamp the bigger the tramp.
Meaning, that girl with the flowers and hearts tattoo starting at mid back and disappearing into her waist band while stretching hip to hip is more likely to get freaky after a few woo woo shots than say the chick with the baseball size butterfly tattoo.

Earth shattering? No - true? You better believe it.

Cheap Parking in NYC

2008-08-15T11:23:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder how to get a decently priced lot in New York City?

Well this site is the answer:
http://nyc.bestparking.com

The site overlays a map of Manhattan with either daily or monthly parking prices. I have been using it for a few weeks and have been paying half of what I normally do!

Verizon + Blackberry Curve = No GPS

2008-08-05T17:52:00.000-04:00

First let me start out by saying the GPS on my Verizon Blackberry Curve doesn't work.

Again I do a ton of research before tech purchases, so prior to investing in a new phone I engaged in the probably all too common contemplation...should I get an iPhone? I wanted Internet access, a decent screen, Outlook integration, full QWERTY keyboard and GPS.

Based on my experiences with first and second generation technology (see my post on my first gen Mazda 6 below) I decided against the iPhone until the next iteration. I have an existing Verizon contract so figured I would see what they have to offer, after the positive experience I had with my work issued blackberry 8700 & 8800 I decided to look at the new Verizon Curve. It offered everything I was looking for and all in a very slim package.

I am now on my second blackberry curve because I couldn't hear the phone during calls.

On my previous blackberries I was able to use the integrated GPS with Google maps to great success, I could find my location, get directions, see traffic etc...So after not being able to use the GPS with my new curve I just figured it was broken and I would need to move on to my third one. So I trot over to the store to have tech look at it, after about 10 minutes waiting and another 15 mins of the technician fidgeting with my phone she proclaims I will need to call support, (wait isn't that why I am here?) which I promptly do. The support person informs me that "I will not be happy" but verizon locks out the integrated GPS function and that in order to access it you have to pay for VZ navigator which is the only app that will use the GPS receiver.

Let's sum this up the Blackberry Curve comes with a GPS but Verizon actively disables it so you have to buy their service. So Verizon (who doesn't build phones only provides service) blocks a functionality built in, that the manufacturer designed because they want to be able to charge extra for it....Awesome!

Taco Casa

2008-07-29T13:42:00.001-04:00

Growing up we didn't have a taco bell in we had Taco Casa. It was (and still is) my favorite taco.

I was in my hometown last weekend and due to a torrential downpour landed up cruising the mall like I was thirteen again. So when we got to the food court you can imagine my excitement when I saw this....

I have to say although my palette has grown more sophistcated and I enjoy a lot more types of cuisine, Taco Casa still tastes just as good as it did all those years ago

The Woods are at Capacity

2008-07-21T13:57:00.000-04:00

Went to Wawayanda state park in northern Jersey on Saturday to go hiking but the gate was closed and there was a big sign that said "Park at capacity". Not quite sure how a park reaches capacity but they weren't letting anybody in.

2008 Camera Recommendation

2008-05-28T09:51:00.000-04:00

I do a lot of research before I purchase any product which leads many of my friends to ask my advice on different consumer electronic devices. By far the most commonly asked product category is digital cameras.

This year I am recommending the Casio Exilim: EX-S10
Casio EX-S10 Company Site

It's super compact, easy to use and at 10 megapixels more camera than most of us know what to do with it. I also like that it uses SD cards which are fast becoming the main stay of storage across devices (BlackBerry, GPS, Phones, Etc)

As of this posting it was about $215 on Amazon.com or BestBuy.com

Gideon Defines Lactard

2008-05-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

Lac -tard:
Noun

Anyone who is lactose intolerant or who can not otherwise consumer dairy products

Any person(s) who are unable to digest lactose (milk sugar) due to a deficiency of lactase, an enzyme for metabolization of lactose, unable to digest milk and some dairy products

i.e.

"Hillary that lactard doesn't want any cheese on her burger"

Big Apple Barbecue NYC

2008-05-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

From the big appple bbq site

Big Apple BBQ

The Event

The Sixth Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party returns to Madison Square Park June 7–8, 2008, from Noon–6:00 PM. The weekend-long event takes place every June and brings together the country’s top pitmasters who cook up their award-winning food for over a hundred thousand barbecue enthusiasts. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Madison Square Park, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party attracts people from near and far to sustain and celebrate America’s authentic culinary and musical traditions.

Admission to the event is free. Take in the sights, sounds and smells of the event – from great live music to engaging seminars and demonstrations – without ever dropping a dollar. The country’s best barbecue is available from top pitmasters for only $8 per plate.

The Big Apple Barbecue Block Party is proud to support the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the organization responsible for the beauty, ongoing maintenance, and programming of this historic park.

Peak Oil

2008-05-15T11:47:00.000-04:00

Just in case you haven't heard about it yet, the concept of Peak Oil is what is going to have us driving low horsepower electric/hydrogen/bio diesel cars in 20 years.

Wikipedia did a great job of explaining it:
Peak Oil

Rooftop Bars in New York City

2008-05-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

Like most people I love drinking outside, and being that I spend most of my week in Manhattan that means I am always looking for a good Rooftop bar in NYC

The good folks over at Clubplanet have compiled and awesome list:
New York City Rooftop Bars

Enjoy spring in the city

Add this to my Wishlist

2008-05-08T13:48:00.001-04:00

I wish I had this in college (it was a real hassle to drag the speakers, blacklights and fog machine up every week)

Emergency Party Button

Baked ipod

2008-05-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

Have you ever left your ipod in your pants and washed it? Me neither but someone I know did (who will remain nameless). Needless to say it no longer worked when it came out of the spin cycle. On the advice of a tech savvy friend the ipod was baked in the oven on 200 degrees for an hour and now it works fine.

Who would have thunk it.

MoBuck.com

2008-05-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

Ever want to make one of those motivational posters of your own?

Well now you can:
www.Mobuck.com

Enjoy

Awesome Dentist

2008-05-07T11:11:00.000-04:00

My dentist rocks...not only because they do an awesome job with cleanings but because they embrace technology so well, let me explain:

First it's a paperless office so everything is done on the computer right in the chair via a mounted flat screen. No annoying paperwork to complete here

Second said flat screen is also cable tv that you can watch during your cleaning

Third I get notified by email and text message prior to my appointment. The message includes the address, phone number, etc

Fourth they are just super nice and a pleasure to visit

Fifth they are always embracing new technologies. For example today they used a digital cavity checker and electronic oral cancer screening scope

If you are looking for a good dentist check out Dr Lantner
www.drlantner.com

Blake's Birthday Meals

2008-05-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

So for my Birthday I must have gone out to eat at least a half dozen times, here are the highlights

Koi - NYC
A lot of people love the crispy rice spicy tuna but my favorite here is the rock shrimp tempura and Kobe beef

Barclay Prime - Rittenhouse Square Philly
www.barclayprime.com
There Kobe sliders are unbelievable. The steaks and sides are on par with some of my favorite steak houses

Apamate - South Street Philly
www.apamate.com
We went here for Brunch and I was blown away by the quality of this traditional Venezuelan restaurant. My personal favorites were the potatoes, churizo and churros

Flying Screaming Monkeys

2008-04-30T16:59:00.000-04:00

Well I am a kid at heart so I couldn't help but love these little guys

www.buysuperflymonkey.com

They also have super flying cows, pigs, chickens, frogs etc...

Zipcar

2008-04-29T11:40:00.000-04:00

I love cars and love to drive, one of the hardest things for me when I lived in the city was not having a car.

I have never used Zipcar but noticed on the train today that they now have pick ups at NJ Transit stations and are also offering $50 off

They give you 180 miles a day with free insurance and free gas so seems like an awesome deal

http://www.zipcar.com/njtransit/

Best Xbox Live FPS Mutliplayer

2008-04-24T14:22:00.000-04:00

So I probably play too much Xbox360, but I recently recieved (and completed) rainbow six vegas 2, which I patientyl waited for on pre order and then not so patiently waited for my 360 to come back from Microsoft from a red ring of death error.

I have to say that the Rainbow Sixe Vegas 2 multiplayer on Xbox live sucks, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has much better multiplayer.

COD4's multiplayer is much more fast paced, exciting and interesting. You don't have to wait around to respawn or for the next round, you don't have to back out of every ranked match after you finish and the boards are much better laid out and fun to play.

The cure to all your Sarcasm problems

2008-04-18T12:25:00.001-04:00

Mazda

2008-04-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

Well I bought a Mazda 6 because I liked the styling and performance. Up until then I had Acuras (integra & RSX) and didn't realize how good I had it with a Honda.

Not only have they replaced my drivers seat 3 - 4 times but now the motor is busted and on national back order leaving me waiting until they get them in stock (for which no one can give me an ETA). The dealership ground my rotors at least 6 times in an effort to smooth out the brakes leaving me to get new pads and rotors at 35k miles (way earlier then it's supposed to be). Now after the third time they ground the rotors I asked each time if this would reduce my brake life, for which the service department always said no, right up until I brought the car in for service and they told me my brakes were bad, weren't under warranty anymore and needed to be replaced ASAP. Needless to say I went to a local brake shop and save a couple hundred dollars. At 12k miles I needed to have some boot replaced because some fluid was leaking all over it. And most annoying the damn fuse box cover falls off constantly.

So with all these issues I land up at the dealership a lot, which was fine when I lived in PA right down the street. Now that I live in North Jersey I have to drive 20 miles to the only decent dealership I can find "Wayne Mazda" and here's why.

The other dealership near me is Maxxon Mazda, which I brought my car to for an oil change after having all the brake pads and rotors changed in addition to new tires. As part of service they give you a little report telling you if anythings wrong...well after waiting two hours for my oil change at the most ghetto dealership I have ever been the service manager tells me through the bullet proof glass that my brakes are shot and I need new ones ASAP...WHAT? I just had new ones put in I say...he says really? goes out to my car and looks at one wheel comes back in and says oh yeah they are new...wtf I ain't no mechanic but I don't think staring at my wheel for 20 seconds gives anyone the ability to see if the brakes are new or old, unless he was doing some sort of mind meld...needless to say I never brought my car back there....

My other option is morristown Mazda which is so horrible they don't even answer the phone when you call service (I have tried 15 times) so while my Mazda sucks maintenance wise at least Wayne Mazda tries their best as a dealer

Bottom line: Don't buy a Mazda

TurboTax Love

2008-04-10T16:16:00.000-04:00

I have been using H&R block online to do my taxes for eight years now. Finally this year I hit a brick wall and just couldn't get past a certain part in the tool and decided to try TurboTax.

WOW

It is obvious that H&R hasn't updated their interface or logic in the eight years I have been using it while Turbo has a site satisfaction survey at the end of theirs (and it's obvious they listen to their users). The tool was so easy to use asking simple question in plan english and importing my W2s and other tax info automatically!

I will never go back to H&R again!

What a simple and easy to use tool...

Funny Quote of The Day - Friday 4/4

2008-04-04T16:07:00.000-04:00

In the vain of my favorite defunct site http://www.recambiant.com/ I bring you...

The Funny Quote of The Day - Friday 4/4

Anonymous Friend: I am wearing the same pants I've worn all week
Blake: That's Gross
Anonymous Friend: dont u wear jeans for a long time w/o washing them?
Anonymous Friend:its not hot out so i dont sweat when i walk to and frm the office
Blake: Yeah but there is all kinds of stuff going on in your pants all day

Favorite New Sitcom

2008-04-03T12:46:00.000-04:00

How I met your mother

Ok so I think NPH is hillarious and I can't wait till Howard and Kumar 2 comes out...But there is another NPH gem out there, namely I have started watching "How I Met Your Mother" and think it's one of the funniest shows on TV

NPH's character is funny but all the other characters crack me up as well, with not that many great shows on TV, besides The Shield, Rescue Me and the simpsons How I met your mother has made it into the top priority on my TIVO

I also like how they blend the internet into as many episodes as possible.

For example one of the main characters is Ted Moseby who NPH impersonates while tricking a girl into sleeping with him...she creates a site http://www.tedmosbyisajerk.com/

Barney (NPH) also mentions and writes in his blog during one episode and they don't even try to hide the similarity with Dogie Howser...

Serenade Restaurant - Chatham NJ

2008-03-30T16:19:00.000-04:00

Visited Serenade Restaurant on Friday night and was absolutely blow away by the meal. It's price fixed so you can go with either three or six courses. I went with three and loved them while my lovely date went with six and defintely had the better experience.

I highly recommend trying Serenade if you are in North Jersey

You can check out the menu here:
http://www.restaurantserenade.com/

Make a reservation here:
http://www.opentable.com/

Sunrise Village - Killington VT

2008-03-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

I love skiing but hate the lodge...after zipping down runs the last thing I want is a greasy $15 mama Celeste personal pizza, a $9 microwaved hot dog, or disgusting $7salad. I don't feel like listening to kids scream, newbies trip, or snowboarders hike up their pants...I don't want to fight for a place to park or get dressed in the parking lot...

For the first time ever I stayed in a ski in/ski out condo (important tip below) and I loved it.

First we walked right from our comfy condo to the lift, he we skied back to have a home made lunch in the condos kitchen and at the end of a hard day we stoked the fire sat back and relaxed.

On top of all that the condo complex had an indoor pool, steam room, sauna, restaurant and bar...
Sunrise Village

Thank Buddha for slopeside living

We saved money by booking our tickets online (make sure you do it a week ahead though)

Killington.com
I also booked the condo at sunrise through Killington.com

TIP: Make sure you book a place that says "ski in ski out" some places will say slopeside and may be 5 miles from the hill or they may say ski in which means you still have to drive to the slope to ski out

Spamalot

2008-02-17T14:51:00.000-05:00

Spamalot is a laugh riot

Normally I am not a huge fan of musicals, but Spamalot was hillarious...I think you have to be a bit of a monty python fan but it does a good job of being relevant to recent events, fun to watch, and the songs aren't boring....

Blake Harrison's Blog

2008-02-06T17:17:00.000-05:00

Trying to bring Blake Harrison dotcom into the future.

Expect more postings to come