back to Seattle

back to Seattle
Originally uploaded by praank

A Holiday Present for your Ears

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!  Usually by this time of the year I am sick of the holiday tunes that have been playing in every store and commercial non-stop since Thanksgiving.  I think it may be because a) I love me some electronica, and b) there are only so many songs that invoke that holiday spirit.

Back in 2006, I discovered DJ Drüe with his "Holiday Flavor" mix which features electronic remakes of popular holiday tunes.  He has since come out with a 2007 mix, but I haven't seen anything from him this year.  In the process of finding the links for these mixes for you guys, I also discovered he has a 2005 mix as well!  Check these mixes out while you stuff your face and enjoy your family!

Holiday Flavor 2005

Holiday Flavor 2006

Holiday Flavor 2007

If the name DJ Drüe sounds familiar, you probably have heard some of his mixes while hanging out with me.  He's got some awesome west-coast style house music (that for me, is hard to find!).

I'm coming home tomorrow, granted my flight is not delayed/cancelled.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because I've heard nothing but horror stories about Sea-Tac this past week.  I'll be coming home with a shiny, new 1TB external HD (omg do you know how much music that can hold???) and an herb garden (fresh produce!), among other things.  See you tomorrow!

pretty winter colors

pretty winter colors
Originally uploaded by praank

A guide to Understanding Flow Charts presented in flow chart form

I love this!  Sorry about the nerd humor if you don't get it!!!

source: xkcd

Designer Furniture Orgasm

lounge Kitchen_1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Filip001

Knoll sofa
Eames lounge
Noguchi table

I am totally in love with flickr user Filip001's lounge & dining room, not to mention the rest of his flat. His place is chock-full of beautiful designer pieces!

tables, charts, & lists... oh my! Google Zeitgeist 2008

As a designer there is something about maps, charts, graphs, etc, that gets me all giddy. So you can imagine my excitement today when I woke up to find that Google released its 2008 year-end zeitgeist. Zeitgeist is German for "the spirit of the age and its society," which ultimately boils down to the major events, thoughts, trends, and big ideas that were shared by us as a society. What makes the Google year-end zeitgeist unique is the way Google has integrated itself into almost everyone's life through their handy tools, so it provides a fairly accurate snapshot of most of the world.

Google.com - Fastest Rising (U.S.)
1. obama
2. facebook
3. att
4. iphone
5. youtube
6. fox news
7. palin
8. beijing 2008
9. david cook
10. surf the channel

Seems pretty accurate, but what is with Obama being the #1 fastest rising search, and Fox News being the only news network on the list? Bizzare contradiction. My guess is the people looking for the Fox news website couldn't type in "foxnews.com," completely understandable.

Fastest Rising (Global)
1. sarah palin
2. beijing 2008
3. facebook login
4. tuenti
5. heath ledger
6. obama
7. nasza klasa
8. wer kennt wen
9. euro 2008
10. jonas brothers

I am completely fascinated/confused by Sarah Palin's celebrity status. Even now, after the election, she is staying in the limelight. I'm also confused by the third fastest rising global search, "facebook login." I don't know, just seems easier to type in "facebook.com," or even easier, bookmark it.

Funny that these charts provided me a good hour of time-wasting (go look through past zeitgeists), yet I didn't use nearly any of these search terms over the course of the past year.  In fact, for some results, I had to use Google to learn their relevance.

Google Zeitgeist 2008

Tristan plays with his food...

Tristan plays with his food...
Originally uploaded by praank

If you can't tell from the picture, those are garlic mashed potatoes that Tristan made to go along with a big roasted turkey, and some tasty stuffing.  What seemed to be a severe case of Thanksgiving déjà vu, was actually a mini turkey dinner–because, for a cooking novice, turkey isn't as easy to cook as it may seem.

Prop 8: the musical