Archive for July, 2007

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Photos from Rich and Michelle’s wedding

I just finished uploading photos from Rich and Michelle’s wedding last week to my server. There were a lot of chunkers in attendance and overall it was a lot of fun for everyone involved. One funny thing that happened was the priest presiding over the marriage forgot to conclude the ceremony at the end (the part where they go “By the power invested in me by the State” etc) so when everyone was at the reception at the Mile Square Golf Club he pulled the couple out onto the dance floor and completed the lines there.

Richard and Michelle’s Wedding Photos I took 

9 months, 3 weeks ago

It’s as if millions of EMO souls cried out in agony….

Wait, isn’t that redundant?

Apparently something pretty massive went down at the 365 Main colocation facility in San Francisco at around 1:30pm-ish. More importantly however, this looks like there was a power outage in a large portion of the SOMA district of San Francisco that affected somewhere between 30,000-50,000 people. From what some friends of mine told me there was a total of 6 different blackouts over the course of the last few hours. No word yet on what exactly caused any of this still. Blame chocolate covered manhole covers or the like.

LiveJournal is down! Netflix, down. Craigslist, down. Yelp, down. Technorati, down. Vox, down. TypePad, down.

Yet this is supposedly a AAA-class facility with plenty of online generator backup. Yet all of these major internet websites are down. Why? What the hell happened up there? Did a major transformer in the facility blow or something? Did dickless turn off the containment field or something?

What is even more HILARIOUS is this press release claiming 2-year long continuous uptime just 90 MINUTES before the colossal clusterfuck began. Just to add to the hilariousness of the situation the Onion News Network did a spoof news piece on something similar to this happening that you should all view!

This is why I host my blog and photos on my own server that I have control over and just push updates out to these services. Sometimes even the big guys fuck up their contingency plans.

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Why I probably won’t be renewing my Yahoo! Personal’s account

So for the past month I have been paying for my Yahoo! Personal’s account in an attempt to see if the service had gotten any better or see if there were any actual real people using the service. I’ve been keeping track of the numbers and results so far and today marks a full month since starting this experiment of mine. So in total, in the past month since I started using my Yahoo! Personals account here are the results:

1 Spammer
14 Contacted over a month ago, 2 of which deleted their profiles since, of which 12 never responded back with so much as a “not interested”
1 Of which said not interested
1 Who said they had just started dating someone

1 Who contacted me spontaneously (from Riverside)
1 Who IM’ed me spontaneously (from Alabama, see below)

1 Whom I contacted, they wrote back, I responded and they responded back, only to not hear anything from them for 3 weeks since. So not sure what to think. She seems nice and interesting and said she was on vacation at the time of her last response but that was three weeks ago so I sent her a quick note asking what had happened to her. Maybe she just got busy with life, who knows.

The one who contacted me from Riverside seemed nice but Riverside is just too bloody far away from everything I do. School, work, you name it not a single lick of any of it takes me out to Riverside. So that’s just not workable for me. After all I have to be practical about what I am capable of dealing with time-wise and distance-wise and I know Riverside is just too damn far.

Now the one from Alabama who spontaneously IM’ed me. Oh boy, that one has crazy written all over her. She talked to me yesterday and it was the most singularly weird conversation I have had in a long while. I tried to be nice, but I’m not sure this woman got the point that I am not looking to start a long distance relationship anytime soon. Just check out this chat log from yesterday and you will see what I mean. And remember boys and girls, I get to pay Yahoo! $24.95 a month for the privilege of talking to people like the one below. Sweet Baby Jesus.

7:22:44 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Hello…..how are you doing today,? my name is Joyce , just wanted to IM you if we can chat together or what do you think!!!!!….
7:23:26 PM doctorwho21: Hi there, who is this?
7:23:43 PM jen.lasweetbaby: sorry my name is Joyce from Yahoo Personals
7:23:59 PM doctorwho21: oh ok! Sorry, was just a little confused
7:24:08 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Oh….okay
7:24:15 PM jen.lasweetbaby: my name is Joyce
7:24:21 PM doctorwho21: Hiya Joyce. I’m Dan
7:24:35 PM jen.lasweetbaby: and am new member on there , just wanted to Im you if we can chat sometime
7:24:42 PM jen.lasweetbaby: nice meeting you Da
7:24:44 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Dan
7:25:17 PM doctorwho21: Yeah its ok, I dont mind
7:25:27 PM jen.lasweetbaby: okay..thanks
7:25:34 PM jen.lasweetbaby: how old are you ?
7:25:41 PM doctorwho21: But you profile says your in Alabama?
7:25:46 PM doctorwho21: I’m 31
7:26:27 PM jen.lasweetbaby: yes , i just like to chat with someone long way , coz i dont know where we cpuld meet if God to let Us to each other better
7:26:40 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Or dont you want to talk to me since am in AL?
7:27:11 PM doctorwho21: It is nothing personal, but I have done long distance relationships before and I have found out that they have not worked for me in the past.
7:27:37 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Oh….i think god dont want you both to meet each other
7:27:58 PM jen.lasweetbaby: well i do believe in Gods word and i like going to church
7:28:28 PM doctorwho21: Ah ok, well I am not very religious I’m afraid.
7:28:43 PM jen.lasweetbaby: afraid of what !!!
7:29:04 PM doctorwho21: I was just saying that I am not religious
7:29:36 PM jen.lasweetbaby: oh….okay got it
7:29:53 PM jen.lasweetbaby: so dan do we think if God can let Us we gonna be togther
7:30:04 PM jen.lasweetbaby: am just alone nobody and i need someone to make me happy
7:31:19 PM doctorwho21: Right, uhm, I hate to sound down here but I really am in no place to be doing a long distance relationship. I am looking for someone local Joyce.
7:31:56 PM jen.lasweetbaby: well if you say so
7:33:44 PM jen.lasweetbaby: so what do you wanna talk about now?
7:33:54 PM doctorwho21: I don’t think you understand. I am working on a degree right now and have little time for much beyond work, school, and possibly starting a relationship locally. If I was going to be getting into a long distance relationship I would need to be done with my degree and in a better position financially.
7:34:20 PM doctorwho21: Whatever you want to talk about is fine with me
7:34:44 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Thats okay by me and if you think we can ever meet then
7:34:51 PM jen.lasweetbaby: what are you really lookingfor
7:36:11 PM doctorwho21: Well I am looking for someone I get along with and can talk to along with a dash of physical compatibility as well.
7:36:26 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Thats cool
7:36:34 PM jen.lasweetbaby: so can you tell me more about you sometime
7:38:17 PM doctorwho21: I guess, but I really dont see how we would possibly ever meet up?
7:38:40 PM jen.lasweetbaby: how and why do you say such thinggs?
7:40:24 PM doctorwho21: Because its how I see things? Your on the opposite side of the country. I have no idea where I will end up when I am done with my degree but there is a good chance I will remain in California. Hence my prefrence to try and find someone locally.
7:42:01 PM jen.lasweetbaby: so are you saying we cant never meet in person ?
7:46:14 PM doctorwho21: I’m saying that I dont see how it would happen since I am in no position to travel anytime soon. I also hardly know you, not to mention since your profile isn’t complete it makes it difficult for me to know if we are physically compatible either. This whole conversation sounds like someone asking me if I might ever go 2000 miles to buy milk from the store instead of going across the street to the local store, sight unseen. I also mentioned I’m not a religious person, nor am I likely to change my stance with regards to that anytime in the foreseeable future. While I am sure you are a nice person, you are coming on sort of strong and I know very little about you. I would prefer to take my chances locally where I have the ability to easily make plans to meet with someone verses trying to invest time in a long distance relationship that could very easily end up not being what either person wants.
7:47:54 PM jen.lasweetbaby: ohh….
7:47:58 PM jen.lasweetbaby: can i add you?
7:48:14 PM doctorwho21: I thought I already authorized it?
7:48:24 PM jen.lasweetbaby: No
7:48:26 PM jen.lasweetbaby: i dont think so
7:48:28 PM jen.lasweetbaby: you havent
7:49:04 PM doctorwho21: I just allowed it?
7:49:17 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Okay
7:50:32 PM jen.lasweetbaby: so what are we gonna talk about now
7:50:59 PM doctorwho21: Whatever you want, you caught me in the middle of reading for one of my classes
7:51:28 PM jen.lasweetbaby: lol….well i want to know what are you really looking for
7:51:43 PM jen.lasweetbaby: and what type of relationships are you seeking for on here
7:52:25 PM doctorwho21: One second
7:52:48 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Okay
8:01:50 PM doctorwho21: I’m looking for a woman I am compatible with, ideally someone to date and maybe develop into a more serious relationship if I feel comfortable about that.
8:02:29 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Thats nice
8:02:39 PM jen.lasweetbaby: when did you joined this site?
8:04:11 PM doctorwho21: a month ago
8:05:47 PM jen.lasweetbaby: oh….
8:05:57 PM jen.lasweetbaby: and you never met any lady so far /
8:06:04 PM doctorwho21: nope
8:06:13 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Okay then
8:07:34 PM jen.lasweetbaby: so tell me more fof you
8:07:42 PM jen.lasweetbaby: or what doy uo wanna know about me
8:08:39 PM doctorwho21: Why did you decide to talk to me?
8:09:09 PM jen.lasweetbaby: i think you’re looking for a serious relationship right ?
8:09:36 PM doctorwho21: eventually, yes, but I’m not going to jump right into one. I want to get to know someone first
8:10:05 PM jen.lasweetbaby: yes thats what we’re doing
8:11:09 PM doctorwho21: right, but I prefer to meet people in person to make those kinds of determinations. I have had experiences in the past where people online were not what they represented themselves to be.
8:12:04 PM jen.lasweetbaby: Okay,,,,then
8:12:16 PM jen.lasweetbaby: i think we have to add this then
8:14:59 PM doctorwho21: add what?
8:15:24 PM jen.lasweetbaby: i mean end this
8:15:41 PM doctorwho21: the conversation you mean I assume?
8:15:52 PM jen.lasweetbaby: yes
8:15:58 PM doctorwho21: Okie dokie
8:16:38 PM doctorwho21: Good bye
8:16:46 PM jen.lasweetbaby: its okay

Seriously, I just want to meet someone relatively normal-ish who is local and whom there is at least some kind of spark with.

10 months ago

New photos and friends birthdays!

So my friends are what you might call the perfect storm of planning r-tardation sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love them like family but sometimes they do things collectively that are at the same time completely awesome while being totally retarded.

Case in point, this past 4th of July it looked like no one had any kind of group activity planned. No BBQs, no parties, no get togethers, hell not even a trip out to go see a new movie. In other words, pretty damn bleak. There had been a potential prospect for a party to go to, but my friend whom knew the people throwing it decided not to go and I wasn’t one to try and worm my way into a party where I didn’t know anyone.

So starting on the 4th of July I get an invite on MySpace for my friend Jim’s birthday, to be held on Saturday the 7th in the evening. Good, right? Well my friend Jason Bender had gotten a hold of me like a week and a half previous and let me know his birthday was going to go down the same night at The Edison in Hollywood. Conflict, right?

But wait, theres more! The next day, the 5th I get another invite to a birthday party for my friends Alia and Irene….on the same day and time. Great, so now there are four birthdays spread across three different locations on the same night. At which point I talk to Adrienne and she tells me that my friend Rich who is getting married is doing some kind of party that same night!!!! Whom I then ask about what is going on, only to find out that event is cancelled.

Except the next day I then get an invite for Rich’s birthday dinner on….you guessed it…the same freaking night. So we now have five birthdays in four different locations, three of which are in Orange County and the last which is up in Hollywood. So I decide to stick it out down in OC and hit all the parties I can so I can see people I hadn’t seen in quite a while. It was sort of like a bizarre triathlon of some sort, but overall it was a fun experience.

Now, onto the photos from the parties and other events recently!


Everyone who made it to Rich’s 31st  birthday party at the teppan house they picked in HB. All the July birthday party photos are here.

On Friday and Saturday I spent a few hours getting tanned/lightly sunburned while getting some photos of surfers and hot surfer babes from off the HB Pier at Main St.


Friday’s photos at Huntington Beach


Saturday’s photos at Huntington Beach

Last but not least are some older photos I had neglected to upload. First we have a few shots I took at sunset near the Seal Beach Naval Weapons base not too far south from home here. I really like how the colors in the sky came out that particular day, just awesome light.

Finally we have photos of the Friday night Big Bang fireworks show at Angel Stadium in Anahiem from back in early May when I went to see the Angels kick the White Sox a new one. I didn’t have my tripod with me so I was having to hand-hold these shots so they didn’t come out as good as I wanted them to, but it gave me some experience working on my handheld technique. This particular photo however I thought turned out not half bad:

In movie related news I can recommend anyone go see Transformers, especially if you are a big fan of the show. Michael Bay somehow managed to make a truly kickass movie with my childhood franchise memories. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you should do yourself a favor and go out and see it right away.

10 months, 1 week ago

Screw this noise….

I’m going to go see the Transformers.

And for those you you playing the home version of our game, apparently none of you people did a damn thing today.

10 months, 1 week ago

It’s the 4th! I have NOTHING to do!

This must change. If you know of something going on, be it BBQ, party, gathering of awesomness…. WHATEVER. Reply back and let me know, or IM me, or call my ass 562-331-1603.

If I don’t hear of anything I may just head out to the beach for some sun.

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Live Free or Die Super Increadibly M#%^&ing Hard and other nonsense

So last week I went and saw the new Live Free or Die Hard movie and I have to say it being rated PG-13 had been a concern of mine. Turns out that fear was unfounded as the movie turned out to be a total blast! Lots of action, lots of shit blowing up and lots of bloody John McClane kicking ass and taking names. For the hacker types out there, there are some obvious Hollywood shortcuts to how computers and networks work in that silly thing we call reality. However its not so bad that it stopped me from having fun watching the film. Also cool was that the audience definitely was rooting for the good guys at times with a fair amount of audience participation going on which is nice to see these days!

Later in the week on Friday night I went to see Sicko with Trina and Matt which was a very interesting look at the American health care system. Most people I have talked to tend to get fixate on Moore himself and lambasting him without even watching the film, or latch onto the whole trip to Cuba aspect of the film which doesn’t even take up a majority of the films time from what I recalled.

As it turns out CNN went ahead and did some fact checking on the movie and their results seem to indicate that Moore didn’t try to spin things one way or the other. I would be curious to see what the side effects of the British or French system are, beyond the obvious of increased taxes. Or should I just expect knee-jerk reactions?

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Hello, and welcome to Kwik-E-Mart!

Last night on the way home from Culver City down back home I had to stop and take photos of what was causing a ridiculous amount of traffic at Sepulveda and Venice. Turns out that the 7-11 store that was at the corner there was one of the 12 selected to be converted into a “Kwik-E-Mart” convenience store as part of the marketing push for The Simpsons movie coming out on July 27th.

Overall it was pretty badass, you could buy a copy of Issue #1 of Radioactive Man comic books, Krusty-O’s cereal, Buzz Cola, and get “Squishee’s”. Sadly, there was no Duff Beer since the movie is only rated PG-13 and the movie execs apparently didn’t want to associate beer with the movie which is understandable. I took these photos around 9:30PM on a Sunday night and as you can see, the store was packed. It was bananas!

More photos are here




About the Author

Daniel Spisak

Daniel Spisak was born from the fiery depths of fusion and now roams the pale blue dot known as Earth. I obtained my bachelors degree in Computer Science from UC Irvine at the end of 2007.

I am also involved in technology & security consulting firms as well as being a freelance technology writer. I also contribute to Jerry Pournelle's website and Chaos Manor Reviews. Additionally I am also a freelance photographer as well and you can find my photos either on my own personal gallery or up at my Flickr account or on Zivity.

This blog is one of the main locations where I do my writing, which is then automatically sent to my LiveJournal, VOX, and MySpace accounts. I can also be found on a variety of social networking and microblogging sites like Pownce, Twitter, Brightkite, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

If your viewing this site with Internet Explorer it may not look correct because IE is horrible about following W3C web standards properly or consistently. I suggest you try browsing the Internet with Firefox. It is much better and not as vulnerable to security flaws as IE can be.

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