Archive for June, 2007
This entry was posted June 28th, 2007 and has 2 comments.
As I started drafting this post yesterday, I was prepared to talk all about why I didn’t really want/need an iPhone and all of the reasons to wait for version 2 or 3. Then, I watched the Guided Tour.
This product is absolutely amazing. I hesitate to even refer to it as a phone, since that’s only 1 piece of what it really does. The four main features are the phone, ipod, web browser, and email. Not only do each of these pieces function better than on pretty much any other phone, but they are also integrated.
The thing that I love most about Apple is their focus on building products from the user’s perspective. This fundamental principle of the company comes across in their design as well as their explanations of the products. In the guided tour, the narrator does not talk about specs or use much technical jargon. He explains the features of the product in terms of how they help the user in their daily lives.
Continue reading Will you Buy an iPhone Tomorrow?
Posted in Chris Walbert, technology
This entry was posted June 26th, 2007 and has no nomments.
Will Ferrell is hilarious. His latest project, Funny or Die, is a comedy site that features videos done by pros like Ferrell, Rob Cordry, Jimmy Fallon, Brooke Shields, and more. Amateur comedians can also upload their own videos, but must go through the Funny or Die voting process for their videos to be featured.
Having low budget videos done by real comedians definitely gives this site a differentiator from all of the other video sites out there. While funnyordie.com includes all of the typical Web 2.0 applications, the future of the site seems to depend more on the creation of pro videos and less on the community impact. We’ll see what happens with this one.
If you’ve heard of Funnyordie.com before, chances are it’s because you saw “The Landlord,” the first video posted on the site. If not, watch it now.
Last night, they posted another video featuring Pearl. This one’s called “Good Cop, Baby Cop.” Also a great video, however, this marks Pearl’s official retirement. Enjoy.
Posted in Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 25th, 2007 and has no nomments.
Maybe this should be titled, “Trying to be Part of a Solution.†That way it wouldn’t overemphasize how big a part I play in this, or infer that there is actually one solution. Either way, here is what I’m trying to do. Instead of participating in social commentary, I am choosing to participate in social change. Instead of finding and pinpointing things that are going wrong in Baltimore, I want to find something that I can do to make it better.
Although I strongly believe that the US and state governments have a responsibility to provide programs and financial assistance to those in need, I wish it wasn’t necessary. What I mean is that there should be enough involvement from people who proclaim to care – churches, private organizations, neighborhood groups, etc. – that government programs become more of a back-up plan.
I recently joined a group of enthusiastic volunteers from my church, Grace Fellowship Church, and the capable leaders of Sandtown Habitat for Humanity (www.sandtownhabitat.org) to begin work on 1418 N. Fulton Ave. This house is located in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of West Baltimore and is in need of a tremendous amount of work. We’ve only been working on the house for 3 weeks, so there is still no back to the house, no plumbing, no flooring, almost nothing.
Continue reading Part of the Solution
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 21st, 2007 and has 2 comments.
Ah, summertime. There are so many things to love about this time of year. Not the least of which is grilling out with some good friends, good food, and good Natty Boh. While some long for the cold, gray, short days of winter, I personally can’t think of much that is better than sitting outside with some friends and firing up the grill.
Since today is the official start to summer, it seems like the perfect time to institute the Wednesday Night Cookout Club. If you would like to a) host a cookout (grill required) or b) be invited to the next one, just drop me a line. Last night was the first unofficial event. It was quite a success and we expect the Club to grow throughout the summer.
I talked about this last summer, but never got it organized. This year it will be different. My grill and chimney starter are sitting on the back patio just waiting to be used.
If you haven’t done so already, make sure you check out Mike’s new blog. Tag it and check back daily.
Posted in Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 19th, 2007 and has 1 comment.
This weekend I moved, again.
While talking with a friend, I started listing all of the times I have moved. Here is the full list. All of these have occurred since I was 18.
1. Move into college dorm (St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA)
2. Move out of college dorm to return to Baltimore. Move in with parents (Parkville, MD)
3. Friend from college has an apartment that I can move into for the summer. At least I’m not living at home. (Towson, MD) Continue reading Professional Mover
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 19th, 2007 and has 7 comments.
As anyone who has spoken to me in the last few months knows, I ran my first triathlon on Sunday. It probably goes without saying, but I was pretty excited about this event and had trained for quite a while.
The biking portion was the part I anticipated giving me the most trouble, and I was right. I recently purchased a used 2006 Bianchi Pista fixed gear bike. I really like the bike, but had only been on it a handful of times before the race. Common sense should dictate that riding a single speed bike through the rolling hills of Carroll County is not the best plan.
Every time I told someone about this plan to ride the fixed gear, I got scowls and disapproving heads shaking back and forth, telling me how bad of an idea this was. So, to solve this problem, I just stopped telling people about the bike. I was hanging out with a couple guys before the race who inevitably asked about my bike. I merely told them that it was a Bianchi and left out the fact that it was a fixed. It wasn’t until after the race that they heard I rode the fixed gear and were somewhat amazed, and also probably thought that I was a complete idiot.
Continue reading Fixed Gear Triathlon
Posted in Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 12th, 2007 and has no nomments.
Well, the day is almost here. This Sunday, June 17 at 7:00 am, I will be participating in my first-ever triathlon.
The “Tri-to-Win†sprint triathlon is happening in Carroll County, MD and consists of a 400 meter swim, 14 mile bike, and 3+ mile run. The event benefits the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, the voice of melanoma prevention, detection, care and cure. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so here - http://www.active.com/donate/tri-to-win/cwalbert.
As part of my training, I have been swimming, biking and running somewhat regularly since January. Running has been my most consistent piece and I feel very confident in that, even though it’s the final leg of the race. The swim is pretty short, so that should be fine too. The real wild card is the 14-mile bike. I did ride 15 miles the week before last, but that was on a stationary bike at the gym.
Continue reading Triathlon
Posted in Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 6th, 2007 and has 1 comment.
128 murders in the first 155 days of 2007.
Baltimore is now on pace for over 300 murders this year. As alarming as that number is, perhaps even more frightening is the seeming randomness with which recent murders, and other shootings, are happening.
Just last night, a cab driver was shot in the head in Charles Village, while driving. Just a few miles away, in Dutch Village, a 4-year-old boy was hit by a stray bullet. The bullet wasn’t from some gang fight or drug transaction gone wrong, though. During an argument between two female neighbors, one of them summoned a man nearby to open fire on the other woman. The bullet hit the boy in the foot instead.
On a nearly daily basis, my Baltimoresun.com RSS Feed broadcasts the story of another homicide. And these murders are not concentrated to one or two historically-troubled neighborhoods. They are happening in west Baltimore, east Baltimore, northeast Baltimore, mid-town, all over the city.
Continue reading What is Going On in Baltimore?
Posted in Baltimore, Chris Walbert
This entry was posted June 4th, 2007 and has no nomments.
Sometimes, it can be quite difficult to get motivated to do work on a Monday morning. Today is one of those such days. I think the answer to this problem is 1. coffee and 2. good music. I just made some coffee and am listening to a new CD, well at least new to me. The CD is Paranoid by the band Rescue. Good stuff. Also, the self-titled album by Ola Podrida is fantastic.
I really try not to let myself get stressed out, but this past week has made that somewhat difficult. My roommates and I have been searching for a new place to live, as our house has been sold. We have until June 27, but would really like to be settled in the place by June 15. I hate hearing about how stressed people are, and I hate even more talking like that. I mean, what good does stressing out ever do? I really just have to trust that everything will work out how it’s supposed to and that the next living situation will be just as positive as the current one.
There are a couple of other things happening, but none that I’m going to get into today. Maybe tomorrow.
So this is my first post in this new blog. I’m going to try to post multiple times a week, about whatever I feel like. Here goes.
Posted in Uncategorized
