"The Social Network" could be great, but could be sucky

When I went to the movie theater over the weekend to see "The Other Guys" I was drawn into one of the trailers before the film. It was for "The Social Network," which is (a version) of the story of Facebook. To be sure, there's a lot of drama behind the creation of Facebook, certainly much more than most people realize between planting their crops in FarmVille, offing a rival gang in Mafia Wars or getting into arguments on friends' status messages. "The Social Network" is based off Ben Mezrich's book, "The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal." For those not familiar with Mezrich, he (I felt) hit the ball out of the park in his 2002 book, "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story...

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Posted in: business,Facebook,Movies,Steak

It's time to start blogging again

I started this blog several months ago during a politically hot time in my life and I told myself I'd start blogging consistently again. But then, as happens, school got busy, work got busy, life got busy, and writing here fell by the wayside. So why, now, when I'm on the brink of entering what might become the busiest, most stressful two-year period of my life, am I saying I'm going to start blogging again? Because I need to. For the past two years I've had the radio show to vent daily thoughts in forms longer than 140 characters. Before that, I had a solid creative outlet in working at a newspaper for the previous six years. Besides, I'd like to think there are a few people in Cache Valley who will want to keep track of what I'm up to, and this will be the best clearinghouse to...

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Posted in: blogging,Life

Are there any merits of "Foursquare."

For the past few days, I've been using a new social media service called "foursquare." Foursquare has been around for a while, but only recently started to catch on in Logan. It is a location-based social media service where people use their cell phones to "check in" at businesses, buildings and events around a community. Users get points for checking in at more places, and if they frequent a location, earn "badges" that they can display to friends saying they're "crunk" (if they visit four places in one night) or that they're a "local" (if they go to one location several times in one week.) Foursquare started in bigger cities, but again, only recently started to have locations in Logan, and since you can add your own location to the service...

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Posted in: business,comment box,foursquare,social media

A souring experience at the GOP precinct caucus

For the past six weeks or so, I was very excited to be able to attend my GOP Precinct Caucus meeting and start to have a say in Utah politics, since you pretty much have to be a registered Republican to have a say. So Tuesday, I went to Mount Logan Middle School for the caucus meeting and I was amazed by the turnout in my precinct, which is the Logan 29th. There were probably 50-60 people at the meeting, far more than the eight who reportedly showed up to the last meeting. Because I felt it could hurt, I had arranged for someone (former Cache County Republican Party Chair and current House of Reps. candidate David Butterfield) to nominate me as a county delegate. He graciously agreed to nominate me. I wasn't expecting to get elected, but it...

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Posted in: Republicans

Dear Vice President Biden:

Sunday was a bad day. Monday was a good day to let off steam, and I felt like Jonathan and I (and lots of callers) put on a good two hours of radio (which you can listen to here and here, incidentally.) When I come home from work, I always anticipate seeing if I get anything in the mail. Usually there's nothing, and if there is, it's a bill, magazine or credit card offer. Lately there's been a crap load of MBA brochures coming and admissions stuff from the UofU. Today, however, was an "URGENT" envelope with the return address none other than the vice president, Joe Biden. Inside the envelope was nothing more than propaganda about how we need to "join together and elect more Democrats to the Senate and House so we can help President Obama...

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Posted in: Hijinks,Team Obama

Silver lining: Was a new GOP star born Sunday night?

Sunday night was not good for conservatives opposed to health care reform. The hours of watching C-SPAN were rewarded with a swift kick to the nuts when the health care reform votes were made. But was there a silver lining to the night? Certainly, one of the few highlights was the impassioned speech that House Minority Leader John Boehner delivered. But twice in the day before that, we heard from Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. Honestly, I'd never seen this man speak before, but in a Republican party that is filled with divisive voices like Mittens Romney, Sarah Palin, John McCain, Rush Limbaugh and any other talk radio/Fox News shmuck, this man makes sense. Check out his first speech to Congress Sunday where he called the health care reform...

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Posted in: Health Care Reform,Republicans,Rising Stars

My politics: an admission

I think it's time I come clean with a heartfelt admission about my politics. My parents are conservative, for the most part. Their friends, as far as I could tell growing up, lean liberal. Growing up in Utah, feeling a need to rebel against something, I liked the Democrats. In middle school and high school, without fully understanding situations, I liked Bill Clinton. Hell, I still do, I think despite his personal life failures, he was a heck of a president who oversaw a great period of U.S. prosperity, technology advancement and well being of our nation. I was in high school and my first years of college for most of the George W. Bush administration, and I didn't like the man. I didn't like his wars, I didn't like his policies, I didn't like his cabinet, I didn't like his VP and I was glad...

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Posted in: Democrats,My politics,Republicans,Team Obama