I was looking through the server on which my site is hosted and just noticed all the crap I've accumulated over the years. Here's a short list of some abandoned projects and miscellaneous treasures found on my server:
http://www.charliewhitney.com/awesome - My initial Papervision3d test
http://www.charliewhitney.com/dae/Untitled-3.swf - More Papervision, but this time a collada import test
http://www.charliewhitney.com/dae/pv3.swf - Yet more pv3d.
http://charliewhitney.com/hungry/hungry.swf - My much talked about recipe site that I never got around to finishing. (You can submit them, you just can't see them)
http://charliewhitney.com/cam/ - My attempt to make an image gallery that would be browseable by waving your hand right or left in from of your webcam. It sort of works..
http://charliewhitney.com/cgmap2.html - A google maps mashup that I actually used quite a bit for a while. I had dreams of turning it into a more full fledged application but again, never finished.
http://charliewhitney.com/flashblog - My ill fated flash blog. Someday I'd like to actually do this when I have the time and patience.
Random pictures -
http://charliewhitney.com/other/board.jpg - My old skateboard
http://charliewhitney.com/other/gameboy.jpg - I was really into drawing gameboys for a while for whatever reason.
http://charliewhitney.com/other/popsicle.jpg - "Lol. Remember sars?" I do.
http://charliewhitney.com/other/venus%20elephant2.jpg - Yup.
http://charliewhitney.com/other/walkR.jpg - I was trying to develop an adventure game where you clicked and your character walked around and stuff. Somewhere there is an animation of this guy walking.
http://charliewhitney.com/other/yay.jpg - The first time I solved that damn cube.
http://charliewhitney.com/other/charliestamp.swf - The only animation I think I've ever done start to finish in Swift3d. Good thing I got that grant to buy the program.
Well so much for the past, now onwards. I really want to register a new domain so the other night I was listening to rap and just typed in random lyrics to see what was available. Here are the results.
Domains unfortunately taken:
http://www.supermandatho.com/
http://www.picturemerollin.com/
http://www.whatitis.com/
http://www.damngirl.com/
http:/www.runthis.com
http://www.tickatape.com/
http://www.mywordisbond.com/ (registered by another whiteboy designer)
http://www.beatbiter.com/
http://www.shutupstupid.com/
http://www.getuponit.com/
Domains unfortunately available:
http://www.wordisbond.net/
http://www.picturemerollin.net/
http://www.wherethefuckaremykeys.com/
http://www.crackdatrobocop.com/
http://www.shortieswith40s.com/
http://www.stackthatpape.com/
http://www.fattransit.com/
http://www.twentyfoseven.com/
In the end I've decided not to go with rap lyrics though and I think I know what I'm going to buy but I'll save that for another time.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
6 måneder
Today is my 6 month anniversary of moving to Denmark and unsurprisingly time seems to have gone by in a flash. Though I feel like I got here just yesterday, looking back I can tell just how much I'm gotten accustomed to life here. So here is a breakdown of what I've learned in 6 months.
Food
Upon first moving here I knew little about Danish food and when I asked Danes to describe their cuisine, it was usually described as 'kind of gross' or just unimpressive. In my expereince Danish food is a little dull though ultimately delicious. It's not exactly your fancy french cooking with wine sauce or anything. You're far more likely to run into "brown sauce" which doesn't need much more explanation. The diet is very meat and potatoes (literally) but I've become really fond of lunch.
These photos are actually pretty old and are back from the old office, but you should get the idea. Lunch is a huge pile of meats and cheeses and whatever else and you just dive in and make an open-faced sandwich. Anyone who knows me from my TODA days will recall that it was PB&J pretty much every day. Well NO MORE. I eat so many different things these days I don't know if I could ever return to the simple pleasures of peanut butter. How do you come down from rugbrøg, chili gouda, cream cheese and jalapenos? Well, I can't imagine it's pretty.
Here we've got rugbrød (the bread), roast beef, remoulade (the bright yellow stuff, much like a relish), tomates and dijonaise it looks like. Man that dijonaise is good.
And what have we here? It's a Denmark classic. Leverpostei (liver, but it's practically the danish peanut butter), cucumbers and roasted onions. In the background you can see the red beets which are very hard to pronounce in Danish.
Culture
While I can't really claim to know very much about Danish culture there are a lot of small things, some of which were raised in the post a couple of days ago. Bascially it's a little tough to get into Danish culture because I don't speak the language and am the foreigner and everyone treats you like it. Not that it's a bad thing, people are lovely here but mostly having lived in very large cities it's tough for me to get a grasp on a smaller, more intimate city. Also it's in Denmark. In general I've found people to be super nice, but perhaps a little hard to connect with. In contrast, in the states people are quicker to write you off initially but are quick to accept you as a good friend. If you can make it past that wall however, people here are really good to one another. Again I can't speak for the population one a large level but the friends I have here are some of the best people I've met in my life. Nearly every single one is one of those deeper connections you really keep with you. It's almost crazy. Because of the socialized government everyone in Denmark really has a chance to make it and I think homelessness is almost a choice you have to make. Most people are really seen as equal and I think people carry this over to their personal relationships. And to quickly touch on diversity, there really isn't any. I've seen like 5 black people here, but you do get a fair amount of middle eastern people as well as polish. Also the practice of picking cans out of the trash happens here, and it's always old chinese women. Whenever I see that I smile; it feels just like home.
The Langauge
Man, Danish is a tough language. It's not pronounced very much like it is spelled, and even then Danish people like to cram a lot of words together or just leave some out sometimes. "Tak skal du have" might become "tak sk'ha" It's usually spoken pretty quickly as well which leaves me, as a foreigner, in the dust. However, I think I'm making some pretty big strides. I take Danish lessons twice a week and I'm getting there. I even read a book. I went to Paris for New Years and it felt extremely foreign, I really missed hearing Danish actually. It started to become second nature to say 'tak' and 'undskyld' which I guess is a sign that I'm catching on. I feel a little slow on the uptake and it's probably because everyone in Denmark speaks amazing English. Everyone. Amazing. It's really pretty surprising at first. Of course one must realize that Danish isn't very useful outside Denmark save maybe Greenland (which is Denmark territory btw), but I don't think that even Danish people really want to go there. I've run into 2 people that don't speak it well and they are the pizza guy at Hawaii Pizza and the turkish guys who run the barber shop I go to. Fortunately all they do is make pizza and cut hair respectively, so you can't go too wrong. I mean, it's not like I'll go in for a pizza and walk out with new shoes or something. Worst case is I get the wrong delicious pizza.
Work
I really like my job. There are such good people there and the work is infinitely more interesting than previous jobs. I know like half the people who read this are my coworkers so I won't dwell on it, but yes. I think it's fantastic and I'm worried that I've been spoiled and will forever be thinking up reasons why future jobs aren't as good as hello monday. We've launched some cool stuff recently though so check it out.
http://www.hellomonday.com has some updates (notice '.com' mofos)
http://www.gudrunoggudrun.com designed by sebastian and programmed by me is looking good. A few more touchups and it will be ready for the award circuit
http://www.businessaarhus.dk designed by jeppe and given life through johanna, never ends but was a neat project to work on all the same
ME
I'm doing quite well myself. I'm pretty happy to be here and I'm nice and healthy. I think I eat a lot better than I did in the states and I'm also eating less. I initially dropped a cool 20 pounds when I first moved here and I've put a few back on though I am still 2 belt notches shy of when I entered the country. As of tonight I weigh 185 pounds (84 kilo) which is just about where I should be, so that's all good. And because peeps be askin, here is me in front of a canvas for my roommate that I will finish in another 6 months.
Random
I haven't seen tv in 6 months so I spend a good amount of time in front of my computer for entertainment. Invariably, you get popups and stuff, but though I never though about it, it was quite obvious that they would be different here. I try to remember to take screenshots when there is a good one so here are a few I've grabbed.
Working in the US isn't all that great. If only I could warn these people.
Also: Johanna and Pelle got married over the weekend and didn't tell anyone. That is crazy. Afterwards they got some Burger King. That is awesome. Since Jo and Palle are one of the big reasons I'm still alive in Denmark I'm thrilled for them. Congratulations!
The Next Six
I feel like I've had a great time here but now coming up is the back 9 and more importantly, nice weather! I feel like I should set some goals but I'm really bad at following through on doing things for myself. So instead here are some think that I'd like to do without calling them goals.
- kick more ass at work. I feel like I'm getting to be a pretty good programmer and each site is really a step up coding wise. I'd really like to kick up my production rate and make some really impressive work. I'd also like to try to design more in my spare time as I've gotten quite rusty. I think that exercising helps with thinking in that it helps stimulate your mind. In the same way I think designing and drawing helps stimulate your creativity which is essential for problem solving in code.
- meet some more people. I love the people I know now but it would be nice to know a few more people. I'm a huge stick-in-the-mud so I should just get off my ass and make the effort.
- exercise a little? I probably won't but it would be nice. Besides walking around 2km to work and back I don't do much else for physical activity. Hopefully warm weather will make me get out.
- travel. this one I really have to do and I'm sure I will. If you're planning a european trip anytime this year let me know and we'll meet up!
Otherwise I'll probably be back in MA/NY late may early june for a little so we should meet up and you can laugh at how i talk weird after a couple drinks.
Food
Upon first moving here I knew little about Danish food and when I asked Danes to describe their cuisine, it was usually described as 'kind of gross' or just unimpressive. In my expereince Danish food is a little dull though ultimately delicious. It's not exactly your fancy french cooking with wine sauce or anything. You're far more likely to run into "brown sauce" which doesn't need much more explanation. The diet is very meat and potatoes (literally) but I've become really fond of lunch.
These photos are actually pretty old and are back from the old office, but you should get the idea. Lunch is a huge pile of meats and cheeses and whatever else and you just dive in and make an open-faced sandwich. Anyone who knows me from my TODA days will recall that it was PB&J pretty much every day. Well NO MORE. I eat so many different things these days I don't know if I could ever return to the simple pleasures of peanut butter. How do you come down from rugbrøg, chili gouda, cream cheese and jalapenos? Well, I can't imagine it's pretty.
Here we've got rugbrød (the bread), roast beef, remoulade (the bright yellow stuff, much like a relish), tomates and dijonaise it looks like. Man that dijonaise is good.
And what have we here? It's a Denmark classic. Leverpostei (liver, but it's practically the danish peanut butter), cucumbers and roasted onions. In the background you can see the red beets which are very hard to pronounce in Danish.
Culture
While I can't really claim to know very much about Danish culture there are a lot of small things, some of which were raised in the post a couple of days ago. Bascially it's a little tough to get into Danish culture because I don't speak the language and am the foreigner and everyone treats you like it. Not that it's a bad thing, people are lovely here but mostly having lived in very large cities it's tough for me to get a grasp on a smaller, more intimate city. Also it's in Denmark. In general I've found people to be super nice, but perhaps a little hard to connect with. In contrast, in the states people are quicker to write you off initially but are quick to accept you as a good friend. If you can make it past that wall however, people here are really good to one another. Again I can't speak for the population one a large level but the friends I have here are some of the best people I've met in my life. Nearly every single one is one of those deeper connections you really keep with you. It's almost crazy. Because of the socialized government everyone in Denmark really has a chance to make it and I think homelessness is almost a choice you have to make. Most people are really seen as equal and I think people carry this over to their personal relationships. And to quickly touch on diversity, there really isn't any. I've seen like 5 black people here, but you do get a fair amount of middle eastern people as well as polish. Also the practice of picking cans out of the trash happens here, and it's always old chinese women. Whenever I see that I smile; it feels just like home.
The Langauge
Man, Danish is a tough language. It's not pronounced very much like it is spelled, and even then Danish people like to cram a lot of words together or just leave some out sometimes. "Tak skal du have" might become "tak sk'ha" It's usually spoken pretty quickly as well which leaves me, as a foreigner, in the dust. However, I think I'm making some pretty big strides. I take Danish lessons twice a week and I'm getting there. I even read a book. I went to Paris for New Years and it felt extremely foreign, I really missed hearing Danish actually. It started to become second nature to say 'tak' and 'undskyld' which I guess is a sign that I'm catching on. I feel a little slow on the uptake and it's probably because everyone in Denmark speaks amazing English. Everyone. Amazing. It's really pretty surprising at first. Of course one must realize that Danish isn't very useful outside Denmark save maybe Greenland (which is Denmark territory btw), but I don't think that even Danish people really want to go there. I've run into 2 people that don't speak it well and they are the pizza guy at Hawaii Pizza and the turkish guys who run the barber shop I go to. Fortunately all they do is make pizza and cut hair respectively, so you can't go too wrong. I mean, it's not like I'll go in for a pizza and walk out with new shoes or something. Worst case is I get the wrong delicious pizza.
Work
I really like my job. There are such good people there and the work is infinitely more interesting than previous jobs. I know like half the people who read this are my coworkers so I won't dwell on it, but yes. I think it's fantastic and I'm worried that I've been spoiled and will forever be thinking up reasons why future jobs aren't as good as hello monday. We've launched some cool stuff recently though so check it out.
http://www.hellomonday.com has some updates (notice '.com' mofos)
http://www.gudrunoggudrun.com designed by sebastian and programmed by me is looking good. A few more touchups and it will be ready for the award circuit
http://www.businessaarhus.dk designed by jeppe and given life through johanna, never ends but was a neat project to work on all the same
ME
I'm doing quite well myself. I'm pretty happy to be here and I'm nice and healthy. I think I eat a lot better than I did in the states and I'm also eating less. I initially dropped a cool 20 pounds when I first moved here and I've put a few back on though I am still 2 belt notches shy of when I entered the country. As of tonight I weigh 185 pounds (84 kilo) which is just about where I should be, so that's all good. And because peeps be askin, here is me in front of a canvas for my roommate that I will finish in another 6 months.
Random
I haven't seen tv in 6 months so I spend a good amount of time in front of my computer for entertainment. Invariably, you get popups and stuff, but though I never though about it, it was quite obvious that they would be different here. I try to remember to take screenshots when there is a good one so here are a few I've grabbed.
Working in the US isn't all that great. If only I could warn these people.
Also: Johanna and Pelle got married over the weekend and didn't tell anyone. That is crazy. Afterwards they got some Burger King. That is awesome. Since Jo and Palle are one of the big reasons I'm still alive in Denmark I'm thrilled for them. Congratulations!
The Next Six
I feel like I've had a great time here but now coming up is the back 9 and more importantly, nice weather! I feel like I should set some goals but I'm really bad at following through on doing things for myself. So instead here are some think that I'd like to do without calling them goals.
- kick more ass at work. I feel like I'm getting to be a pretty good programmer and each site is really a step up coding wise. I'd really like to kick up my production rate and make some really impressive work. I'd also like to try to design more in my spare time as I've gotten quite rusty. I think that exercising helps with thinking in that it helps stimulate your mind. In the same way I think designing and drawing helps stimulate your creativity which is essential for problem solving in code.
- meet some more people. I love the people I know now but it would be nice to know a few more people. I'm a huge stick-in-the-mud so I should just get off my ass and make the effort.
- exercise a little? I probably won't but it would be nice. Besides walking around 2km to work and back I don't do much else for physical activity. Hopefully warm weather will make me get out.
- travel. this one I really have to do and I'm sure I will. If you're planning a european trip anytime this year let me know and we'll meet up!
Otherwise I'll probably be back in MA/NY late may early june for a little so we should meet up and you can laugh at how i talk weird after a couple drinks.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Watch my feet!
My feet are famous. It's true. Foot model is going on my resume. What am I talking about you ask? Well if you visit toda.com you'll see a video some hairy legs connected to some large feet fit into socks which were obviously not meant for feet that size. Ya, that's me. That has been up, oh I don't know, 7 months or so? But just recently my feet got the shout out on the american apparrel website. Recognize (link)!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
I hate lists
I almost hate to do this because these lists are always pretty stupid. However(!), I think these are all very true and it gives a little insight into little aspects of Danish life that I myself have really noticed as well. So having said that, here is a list copied from the interwebs plus little comments by me marked with stars (*).
---
You go to the supermarket and buy three good beers and 10 not too good ones.
*Its really common to go into supermarkets and just pull a couple beers out of a six pack. It's much more mixing and matching than I'm used to.
You honestly believe that the distance between Copenhagen and Aarhus is long.
*It is fucking long. Like 4 hours by train. That's NYC to Boston.
The first thing you do on entering a bank/post office/pharmacy etc. is to look for the queue number machine.
*Yup, it sucks and was really confusing initially. You get a little slip of paper with a number, kind of like at a deli or something.
You accept that you will have to queue to take a queue number.
When a stranger on the street smiles at you, you assume that:
a. he is drunk;
b. he is insane;
c. he is American;
d. he is all of the above.
*I guess people don't smile but I usually try not to look at people anyways for fear they will ask me something in Danish.
Can't remember when to say "please" and "excuse me".
*There isn't a Danish word for please, so I don't really know what this one is about.
You start to believe that if it weren't for Denmark's efforts, the world would probably collapse pretty soon.
You know the meaning of life has something to do with the word "hyggelig".
*hyggelig basically means cozy which is a word you only really use if you're trying to give someone a veiled gay compliment. Here they say it all the time and like this one implies, I'm not really sure about it. I sort of know what it means, but I feel like it has a lot more to do with the Danish culture than I know.
You are very surprised when you receive compliments about ANYTHING - including your appearance/clothing! In fact when you do, you find it suspicious and start thinking they might have ulterior motives.
You've completely forgotten what a "date" is - no one ever comes to pick you up and unexpected gifts are VERY unexpected.
You don't think it strange that no one ever comes by to visit without being invited and you never show up at any one's place unannounced either.
You wouldn't dream of coming even 10 minutes early to a party. (Once around the block is always an alternative)
You find yourself lighting candles when you have guests - even if it is brightly sunny outside and 20 degrees.
*This one is definitely true. The Danes love their candles and it has started to rub off. In the grocery store there is a big shelf just for candles. The section for candles is maybe 5 or 6 shelves and I think there are just 2 for cereal.
---
So I'm sorry about that, but it's little funny Danish culture things that you don't really know until you live here for a while. Speaking of which, I've been here for nearly 6 months. That's ridiculous.
---
You go to the supermarket and buy three good beers and 10 not too good ones.
*Its really common to go into supermarkets and just pull a couple beers out of a six pack. It's much more mixing and matching than I'm used to.
You honestly believe that the distance between Copenhagen and Aarhus is long.
*It is fucking long. Like 4 hours by train. That's NYC to Boston.
The first thing you do on entering a bank/post office/pharmacy etc. is to look for the queue number machine.
*Yup, it sucks and was really confusing initially. You get a little slip of paper with a number, kind of like at a deli or something.
You accept that you will have to queue to take a queue number.
When a stranger on the street smiles at you, you assume that:
a. he is drunk;
b. he is insane;
c. he is American;
d. he is all of the above.
*I guess people don't smile but I usually try not to look at people anyways for fear they will ask me something in Danish.
Can't remember when to say "please" and "excuse me".
*There isn't a Danish word for please, so I don't really know what this one is about.
You start to believe that if it weren't for Denmark's efforts, the world would probably collapse pretty soon.
You know the meaning of life has something to do with the word "hyggelig".
*hyggelig basically means cozy which is a word you only really use if you're trying to give someone a veiled gay compliment. Here they say it all the time and like this one implies, I'm not really sure about it. I sort of know what it means, but I feel like it has a lot more to do with the Danish culture than I know.
You are very surprised when you receive compliments about ANYTHING - including your appearance/clothing! In fact when you do, you find it suspicious and start thinking they might have ulterior motives.
You've completely forgotten what a "date" is - no one ever comes to pick you up and unexpected gifts are VERY unexpected.
You don't think it strange that no one ever comes by to visit without being invited and you never show up at any one's place unannounced either.
You wouldn't dream of coming even 10 minutes early to a party. (Once around the block is always an alternative)
You find yourself lighting candles when you have guests - even if it is brightly sunny outside and 20 degrees.
*This one is definitely true. The Danes love their candles and it has started to rub off. In the grocery store there is a big shelf just for candles. The section for candles is maybe 5 or 6 shelves and I think there are just 2 for cereal.
---
So I'm sorry about that, but it's little funny Danish culture things that you don't really know until you live here for a while. Speaking of which, I've been here for nearly 6 months. That's ridiculous.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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