To my children who last spring gave me a hard time for posting yet another youtube video here at Daddyo, I’d like to point out that I have not posted one all summer. So There!
No New Youtube Videos on Daddyo
by scrappy
With your host and best friend, Scrappy McGowan
by scrappy
To my children who last spring gave me a hard time for posting yet another youtube video here at Daddyo, I’d like to point out that I have not posted one all summer. So There!
by scrappy
For those of you who check in here regularly, sorry there hasn’t been an update in weeks. A trip back to New York and a certain person named Carrie has left me a bit occupied and preoccupied respectively. I’ll do my best to get some new posts up in a day or so.
by scrappy
From Caleb, we have this link to Business 2.0’s 101 Dumbest Moments in Business, 2005 edition.
#2 on the list is the following:
Withdrawing arthritis medication Vioxx from the market because of concerns that it raises the risk of heart attacks, Merck sees its stock drop 39 percent, shaving $38 billion off the company’s market cap. Responding to the crisis, Merck management executes a bold, daring plan—a “change in control separation benefits plan” for 230 of its top executives. The plan gives them up to three years of guaranteed salary and benefits if they lose their jobs as the result of a merger or takeover.
by scrappy
From the (Ann Arbor) Community High email newsletter I learned the following:
31 days from today, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS… To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888/382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years.
You can also visit the national do not call registry online and register your cell phone (or regular phone) there too.
by scrappy
After seing James Taylor on the TV last week I started thinking that I hope I look as good as he does when I’m 56. I swear that guy’s taking whatever Dick Clark’s been taking for the past 25 years.
by scrappy
While K-Mart has never been able to shed it’s image as a down on it’s heels retailer, and Wal-Mart continues to cement its image as a community destroying cheap at all costs (including their workers) behemoth, Target continues to re-invent itself as a hip and fashionable store. Their focus on great product design has made Target the coolest mass-merchandising store (if that’s possible).
From Caleb we have a link to this great (Flash-based) commercial from Target (featuring music by Mazzy Star).
by scrappy
From all the staff here at the Daddyo.com world headquarters, we wish you and your family
A Happy New Year!
It’s 50° (!!) and all the snow that’s blanketed the ground for the past couple of weeks is gone. It’s looking like the first weekend of the new year is going to be a warm one.
by scrappy
Here in Ann Arbor it’s art fair weekend, an event you either dread or love. For those of you who don’t know the Ann Arbor art fairs, there are four concurrent fairs that take over all of both the “adult” and “student” downtown areas of town. Ann Arbor has a population of around 130,000, but for the next few days, we will be host to over 600,000 visitors looking for their art on a stick. You have never seen more white legged – black socked – burmuda short wearing men in your life. So for the next few days, life as we know it comes to a grinding halt.
The fairs range from the one on main street which is more of a crafts fair, to the one over on South University, which is juried and which features some amazing art which is worth braving the crowds to gaze at.
by scrappy
Every 4th, the kids and I always head downtown to watch the Ann Arbor 4th of July parade. As usual, the parade consisted of cops baring their horns, folks showing off their old cars, politicians waving to the crowd, and activists making lots of joyous noise and inspiring the crowds. As always, tons of candy is tossed at the kids. The 4th represents different things to different people, but for Jeremy the 4th means running into the street to get as many pieces of candy and gum as possible.
By far, the largest and noisiest group was the anti-war folks. Their large and well-received presence made me proud to live in Ann Arbor. Also well represented were the Kerry folks who were also well represented, loud and well received. No Bush or GOP folks in site anywhere though.
In honor of the 4th,, we have a link from Kim to this very cool site.
by scrappy
Ahhh, the joys of summer! This evening as I was weeding and poking around in the garden, I saw that my first black raspberries were ready to be picked. I’ve got a huge crop this year with a couple of new volunteer patches added to the back yard berry farm. Did I hear the word cobbler?
by scrappy
I have a big old change jar on my dresser that I put all the day’s change into. Little did I realize that I’m on my way to saving $67,815!
by scrappy
Do you have an older unused cell phone (or two) laying around taking up space? Then send it over to the folks at Call to Protect.
Personally, I’m about to send off two old phones…
The Call To Protect campaign collects wireless phones to benefit victims of domestic violence. Proceeds from the sale of phones help fund agencies that fight domestic violence and are also used to support the educational efforts of the Wireless Foundation. Other phones are refurbished and become lifelines for domestic violence victims when faced with an emergency situation.
by scrappy
From Sarah we have a link to the Confluence.org project.
The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures and stories will then be posted there.
There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you’re on the surface of Earth. They’ve discounted confluences in the oceans and some near the poles, but there are still 13,193 to be found.
Along with the photographs of the actual confluence point is a story related to the poster finding and documenting the location.
by scrappy
From Caleb we have this link to a story that is so disturbing on so many levels that I don’t know where to begin…r
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by scrappy
More signs of spring here in Southern Michigan…r
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Outside this morning, it was 41 degrees and raining. All the deep snow drifts that had been there for months are gone.r
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Most importantly, the Dairy Queen on Stadium Blvd. here in Ann Arbor is now open for the summer.
by scrappy
Like so many baby boomers, I grew up watching Captain Kangaroo.
Regarding the death of Bob Keeshan, yesterday my friend Ted J. Rucker sent along the following note:
“Captain Kangaroo crossed over yesterday….I remember him well, with his
big kangaroo pockets and his rather different hair. There was Mister
Green Jeans, the Dancing Bear, Tom Terrific, a Clock that could talk,
and a puppet squirrel that lived in Captain Kangaroo’s pocket. What’s
not to like about a world like that. He talked directly to us, like we
were special.
Thanks to Captain Kangaroo,
We grew up with you.”
by scrappy
Yesterday I wrote lots of prose. Today will mostly be a series of interesting links…
This year we’ve had hurricanes Isabel and Larry. Did you know that in next year we will have hurricane Otto, or hurricane Felix in 2007?
Visit the Worldwide Tropical Cyclone Names list at NOAA
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Guess who I’m voting for president in 2004? I’d even support Gore this time. Visit the Anyone but W Campaign Action Center
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Speaking for politics, here’s a great site for anyone who’s looking for election and opinion data:
PollingReport.com – Public Opinion Online
by scrappy
As a native New Yorker who grew up on the steep banks of the Hudson River – a place so beautiful that it inspired a whole period and style of American painting – it can be a bit frustrating living in a place so lacking in mountains and vistas. But the fall is one of the times when Michigan really comes to life.r
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All around, colors are exploding and this is turning out to be one of the more beautiful and colorful falls I have seen in my 13 (!) years here in Ann Arbor. A morning bike ride greeted me with this view of the canopy of trees on my street. Clicking on the picture to the left will give you a view of the neighborhood my office building sits in the middle of.r
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And with fall colors also comes some of the best playoff baseball you could ever hope to see. Each night Jeremy and I tune into great game after great game, and the I hardly believe I’m saying this, but there is a real possibility of a Red Sox – Cubs World Series. And tonight we have yet another classic match up when Roger Clemens takes the mound at Fenway against Pedro Martinez for what could be Clemens last game ever.r
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Rich fall colors, temperatures warm enough to bike to work and night after night of classic playoff baseball, who could ask for more?
by scrappy
Three signs that fall is really here:
by scrappy
Carfree Cities proposes a delightful solution to the vexing problem of urban automobiles.