Light on time
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Quick and random. Heard about this website (opentable.com) that lets you book reservations at a bunch of restaurants in your city. Give it a look.
And check out this threeseome.
And if you haven't seen this guy, he's hilarious.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:53 PM |
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43 Thangs
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Check out these two cool "sister" sites.
- 43 Things or 43things.com is a social networking site that is built on the principles of tagging. From their site: "discover what's important, make it happen, share your progress. Find your 43 things." This page sums it up.
- 43 Places or 43places.com lets you share stories about places in your city and around the world.
Labels: cool websites
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:32 PM |
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Homeless Jordans
Sunday, May 28, 2006
As I'm loading my car in downtown Orlando for the trip back to Atlanta I see a homeless guy sporting a pair of sneakers. No big deal, right? Until I noticed that he was rockin' a pair of Nike Air Jordan XVIII's that retail for $199.
Lucky for Urban Eola readers, I had a camera in my car.
I wonder if those shoes were equipped with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:04 PM |
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Logo alert
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Graphic design and sports logo lovers should check out SportsLogos.net. It's got tons of logos from all kinds of different sports and leagues.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:30 PM |
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Buttons, buttons
Friday, May 26, 2006
I spent the last two days making buttons in Photoshop for my personal site. These things take forever. But boy do they direct you to the next page like none other. Let me know what you think. (michaeltavani.com - they're on the top right)
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:35 AM |
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Best office in the world
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
People go to coffee shops like Starbucks just as much for the atmosphere as they do for the actual coffee. These places usually have urban, lounge-style settings that attract every type of crowd. One software company out in Seattle (Delicious Monster) actually works out of a local coffee shop. That's definitely the best office space I've ever heard of.From a Wired article:
"its four main employees meet every day at the popular Zoka coffee shop in Seattle's university district.
"It's cheap rent and a fun environment," said Matas. "We go down there every day with our laptops and work. It's an incredible place. They have two or three of the top baristas in the country (the awards are on the wall). We pay our rent by buying coffee.... They love us. We're some of their best customers."
As well as creamy lattes, the coffee shop offers wireless internet access and big, bench-like tables that several people can gather around. Often, Delicious Monster's entire seven-person staff will work there.
"When we started, there was just two of us working in an office we set up in Wil's house," Matas said. "It lasted a week. When there's just two of you, you can't stay in one room all day."
The coffee house is full of students and several other programmers, most of whom are contractors. Its collegiate atmosphere provides inspiration, not distraction. "It's like a big library," Matas said. "We don’t people-watch. We work. We work eight hours a day."
"Zoka is pretty much their office," said Reid Hickman, a Zoka barista. "It's a pretty good deal. They hang out here all day and they often get lunch and dinner here. They take good care of us."
Matas and Shipley launched the company last year. Living on savings and fueled by coffee, they banged out the software in seven months."
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:53 PM |
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Holy coincidence
This is pretty crazy. Husband, Wife and Their First Child Beat Enormous Odds, Share the Same Birthday
posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:44 PM |
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Track your fitness
I found these two very useful sites to help track your workout distances, fitness levels and workout progress. Now there's no excuse not to get fit.
+ The Gmap Pedometer uses Google's superb mapping application to help record distances traveled during a running or walking workout.
+ We Endure is a training log where you can track your progress in various endurance sports (cycling, running, and swimming to name a few).
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:59 PM |
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Guide to Wetback English
Hysterical video. Urban Eola rant: Let the immigrants stay. They perform a necessary function. The U.S. is founded on immigrants. But definitely check out this video. Carlos Mencia is a pretty funny dude.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:48 AM |
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New Gatorade commercial
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Great new Gatorade commercial featuring the U.S. national soccer team and a revised version of "Take me out to the ballgame". Just building some excitement and buzz leading up to this summer's World Cup.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 5:21 PM |
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Google Trends
Google is consistently coming out with new applications. Google Trends is a pretty neat one. It allows you to type in a word and it will tell you where in the country or the world people are searching that word.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:52 PM |
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From Dunwoody to empire
I gotta salute fellow Dunwoody High School alum, Ryan Seacrest ('93). He's definitely getting it done. Although some people think he's too metrosexual, Seacrest was actually a decent football player and played on Dunwoody's 1992 Georgia state semifinalist team. Also on that team was actor Kip Pardue, who was an even better player. Note to Ryan: shout out to D-wood more often on air.From 'Idol' to Empire: the Success of Ryan Seacrest - New York Times
posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:51 PM |
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World of quotes
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Get motivated, get inspired, get wise or laugh. Quotes can do all of these things. The better ones can do all 4 at once. Check out World of Quotes.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:56 PM |
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Score prime tickets
Interesting article from Yahoo (via Kiplinger's) about scoring great tickets to any event."No event is ever sold out if you know where to look. We tell you the best sources for seats, and how to avoid paying scalper prices."
posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:17 PM |
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Summer: the time to travel
Great tip from Best Life magazine:"Blogs are doing for travel what they've done for news in recent years: put consumers in control of the information they seek. One of the top sites we've found is IgoUgo (igougo.com). It boasts the largest online travel cummunity and allows you to search by destination, interest or keyword. BootsnAll Travel (bootsnall.com) is another excellent blog; it offers detailed travelogues and links to insiders around the world who answer your questions by email."
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:16 PM |
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Man laws
Saturday, May 20, 2006
The new Miller Lite "Man Law" commercials are hilarious. They feature Triple H, Jerome Bettis, Aron Ralston (guy who cut off his arm in the hiking accident), Burt Reynolds, and Eddie Griffin.
> Version 1
> Version 2
> Version 3
The ad agency responsible for the ads even made a "Man Laws" website. It's hysterical. It has a running ticker with man-ly events listed state-by-state. Definitely give it a look.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:52 AM |
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Dude's adventures
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch just ran a segment titled "It's a Guy Thing" which listed a bunch of outrageous, albeit expensive, adventures available for dudes seeking an adrenaline rush.
One was a James Bond-style training school which teaches you and allows you to be a trainee in a covert ops school. You get to rescue hostages and participate in car chases. All for the small price of $3800/3 days.
Another adventure was 30 seconds of weightlessness aboard a Boeing 727. The flights are based out of Ft. Lauderdale or the Kennedy Space Center and were featured on The Apprentice. This adrenaline rush will run you $3750+tax/flight.
This just shows that guys are willing to fork over a bunch of money for experiences or adventures that they feel will provide some zest to their life. I got a relatively free, healthy adventure for you guys: run a marathon. Or at least a half-marathon. Other suggestions that are less expensive than the ones mentioned on the show (based on adventures I would eventually like to make):
1. Buy a cheap van, RV and road trip across the US. Stop at big cities and small towns along the way.
2. Write a book on your experiences and thoughts on life (or the trip above).
3. Start an organization based on a passion of yours. Get heavily involved in it.
4. Film a documentary of an interesting aspect of your life or another's that not many people know about. Believe it or not, there's all kinds of interesting/ unique things going on in people's lives. Get a cheap camera and film away.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:48 PM |
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Introducing...webroll
Urban Eola now features a list of the best sites on the web. They appear under the "Webroll" tab on the right side of this page. Here's to hours of internet time.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:41 PM |
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50 hot dogs in 12 mins.
An American might now finally be able to contend with Takeru Kobayashi (pictured), the hot dog eating champion of the world. ESPN.com's Darren Rovell writes about an American college student that has set the American record and might challenge Kobayahsi at the best show on TV on July 4 (Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, NY).
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:22 PM |
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Celebrity Sightings
I'll admit, I'm slightly guilty of keeping running tabs on the latest with celebs like Jessica Simpson, Demi Moore and Jamie Foxx. Tracking celebrity is big news nowadays. Shows like E! News, Entertainment Tonight, and Access Hollywood are a testament to that. The following sites track the latest occurrences of all the celebrity gossip (with pictures and words):
The Feeding Tube
What Would Tyler Do?
Hollywood Tuna
Hollywood Backwash
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:16 AM |
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Are you ready for some futbol?
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The FIFA World Cup is upon us. To put it's importance in perspective for all you American sports fans, more people watch the World Cup than the Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Championships... combined.2006 World Cup
When: June 9 - July 9, 2006.
Where: Germany
+ Check out the official FIFA World Cup 2006 website.
+ For the first time ever in the U.S., every single game is broadcast live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.
+ Brazil, with a loaded arsenal of nasty players is the heavy pre-tournament favorite. Check out this Nike soccer commercial featuring the Brazil squad. These guys are sick.
>>> U.S. games (first round, round robin-style):
Game 1: current #2 in the world Czech Republic (June 12 @
11:55 AM ET on ESPN2)
Game 2: traditional power and 3-time champ Italy (June 17 @
2:30 PM ET on ABC)
Game 3: athletic Ghana squad (June 22 @ 9:55 AM ET on ESPN)
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:27 PM |
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Fresh, new design!
Following the lead of other things that have gotten better recently, Urban Eola decided it was time to change our look and feel. To that end, we made some aesthetic and functionality changes.
Improvements include:
+ Clean, less cluttered and more organized template
+ New Urban Eola header design
+ Links to other sites in my network
+ A new function with the 10 most recent posts displayed on the front page
+ An archives section including monthly folders
+ New comments section for fast feedback. Making the blog truly a "citizen journalism" project.
* Coming soon is a blogroll including links to the best sites that I have come across on the web
Let me know what you think.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 6:57 PM |
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Uni Watch update
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
As a follow-up to my recent post about the ESPN Uni Watch, a blog has just been started by the writer of the column. The hilarious title of the blog is "The Obsessive Study of Athletics Aesthetics". Check out the all-new Uni Watch blog.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:07 PM |
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Beckham, Posh, and style
Check out these pics of Posh and Beckham. They are a great looking couple that dresses well and has the freshest names for their three boys (Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz).
posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:03 AM |
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Attention sports uniform aficionados
Monday, May 15, 2006
If you are into the large and small details of college and professional sports uniforms, then you must check out Paul Lukas' Uni Watch, which is a bi-monthy column on ESPN.com. At the bottom of the column are links to his previous columns.I originally found his write-ups when I was wondering why Kobe was wearing stockings, and have been hooked ever since.
Update: Uni Watch now has a blog that covers all the same uniform craziness daily.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:19 PM |
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Al Gore on SNL
The opening SNL sketch with Al Gore was hilarious. Check it out if you missed it.Thanks to loyal reader TC for the tip.
Update (2:45 pm): NBC acts quickly. As a result, YouTube had to take down the video due to copyright infringement. My best suggestion to find this hilarious video is to search for "Al Gore" on YouTube. Or download it here.
It's not a smart move on NBC's part to enforce copyright protection on this video, because it was getting so many views that it might have actually brought back some credibility to SNL, which has pretty much stunk the last couple years.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:56 AM |
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Holy fast 100-meters!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Justin Gatlin is fast. Today the American broke the 100-meter world record with a time of 9.76 at the Qatar Grand Prix. That's lightning fast. Just for breaking the world record he deserves his own Urban Eola post.Watch Justin Gatlin's tips on sprinting. These tips will improve a layman's 100 from 15.9 seconds to 15.4 seconds.
...3L boyee!
posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:56 PM |
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Booker wins mayor of Newark
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Cory Booker, a 37-year-old former Stanford All-American football player and Rhodes/Yale Law School graduate won the mayorship of Newark, NJ yesterday. This guy is a future star in politics, with his optimistic, outgoing, and well-liked ways. (Read a great Stanford Alumni piece on his story)However, I would have never even heard of this guy if it weren't for the Academy-Award nominated documentary, Street Fight, about Booker's ultimately unsuccessful 2002 run against 16-year incumbent Sharpe James for mayor of Newark, New Jersey. The movie thrusts you into the middle of the heated, often dirty, race for mayor.
Check the list of screenings to see if it's coming to your city. It's a must-see for all who enjoy documentaries.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:08 AM |
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Map me
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Ever wanted to map every place you've ever been? lived? visited? I know I always have. Multiplotter allows you to map multiple locations with a thumbtack and description on a fully active Google map. It's pretty fun to mess around with.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:51 PM |
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Pitch your tent
Monday, May 08, 2006
List of 50 Smart Places to Live by Kiplinger's (with pictures and descriptions).
Their top 5:
1-Nashville, TN
2-Minneapolis- St. Paul, MN
3-Albuquerque, NM
4-Atlanta, GA
5-Austin, TX
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:13 PM |
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Start here when starting a business
Great read sent by loyal reader RW. Kiplinger's 6 Steps to Starting Your Own Business.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:44 PM |
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The man and his cause
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Great SI cover story. Lance is the man and he's going to find a cure for this ugly disease. There's a new mountain for Lance Armstrong to climb. He wants a billion dollars for the fight against cancer, and he won't stop until he gets it.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:41 PM |
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Vegas ain't stupid
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Watch the pre-race Kentucky Derby coverage for an hour and you'll probably see the Vegas "what happens here stays here" commercials about 5x. A coincidence that some potential gamblers might be watching this 132-year-old betting tradition?
+ How the slogan got its start
+ Legal dispute surrounding use of the slogan
posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:54 PM |
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Urban snapshots
Friday, May 05, 2006
Is this the funniest guy in the world? I think so. Note to Ali: come back. We miss you.That's Sacha at a Lakers game with his fiancee, Isla Fisher (of Wedding Crashers fame).
One of Ali's last sightings:
posted by Michael Tavani @ 7:24 PM |
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Google me now
Thursday, May 04, 2006
I got mine. Get yours. Here's why. Have a say in what Google says about you.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 6:19 PM |
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Top ten distractions on the web
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
BusinessWeek just released a list of the top ten free, entertaining sites on the web. There's some good stuff on there. Note to loyal Urban Eola reader JB: we got beat to one of our ideas. Top Ten Desktop Diversions, 2006.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:48 PM |
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Get a Mac.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
As a lifetime PC guy, it's hard to make the switch to a Mac, but these commercials will make you think otherwise. Check them out...they're hilarious. Urban Eola's favorite is "Network". Apple's Get a Mac commercials.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:44 PM |
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Creative people
Man, there's some very innovative people out there on the web. Urban Eola enjoys finding them and sharing them with the UE readers. For another example, check out The $39 Experiment. Great idea and well done site.
Thanks to loyal reader FT for this link.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:06 AM |
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HireGary.net is hired
Monday, May 01, 2006
Creative people are buying billboard space to direct people to their personal websites looking for jobs and significant others. Pretty innovative. Check out HireGary.net, the site of a 35-year-old markting exec who was seeking a job after being laid off. Needless to say, he got a job after someone saw his billboard and called him up. Read about it.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:22 PM |
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