Unquiet Desperation » Cleveland http://www.unquietdesperation.com The Mass of Men Lead Lives of Quiet Desperation. Where's the Fun in That? Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:37:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The Mass of Men Lead Lives of Quiet Desperation. Where's the Fun in That? Christopher T. Miller no Christopher T. Miller codeshaman@gmail.com codeshaman@gmail.com (Christopher T. Miller) 2006-2009 The Mass of Men Lead Lives of Quiet Desperation. Where's the Fun in That? Unquiet Desperation http://www.unquietdesperation.com/UDLogo150.png http://www.unquietdesperation.com/category/adventures/cleveland/ Remember, Remember… http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/11/05/remember-remember/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/11/05/remember-remember/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:56:31 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/?p=1068 I’m fortunate to have friends to game with who are witty and intelligent. We get together as a group once a week and from the Olde Fartz when we fire up Steam and play Left 4 Dead or Half Life 2: Deathmatch.

This week’s missive from Kris Johnson calling us to arms was outstanding, and must be shared.

Did someone say “Gunpowder Plot”? That means no crossbows, no rocket launchers, no gravity guns, no crowbars and no alien derezzers. Guy Fawkes wouldn’t have any of it, gentlemen!

But Guy blew it, and not in the way he intended. His little plot might
have gone more to his liking if he’d added zero-point energy weapons and red-hot rebar to the mix.

I, for one, refuse to limit myself to gunpowder in deference to a
FAILURE, sirs! I will use every resource, be it of terrestrial origin
or brought here by dimension-hopping freakshows, to blast your sorry faces to oblivion!

Remember, remember, the fifth of November
The Crossbow with Rebar so Hot
I can think of no reason
The Crossbow with Rebar
Should ever be forgot.
Shotgun, shotgun, I double-tap
To separate your skull from cap.
A rocket launched into your eye
Across the screen your corpse does fly;
my laser tripmine laid in wait
To halt your dash and foul your gait.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, WASD!
Holloa boys, holloa boys, the winner, it’s me!

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/11/05/remember-remember/feed/ 1 36 Hours in Cleveland http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/09/23/36-hours-in-cleveland/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/09/23/36-hours-in-cleveland/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:57:26 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/09/23/36-hours-in-cleveland/ The New York Times recently spent some time in Cleveland. They found some of the gems we treasure, like the Velvet Tango Room, the West Side Market, and the Beachland Ballroom.
“YOU Gotta Be Tough” was a popular T-shirt slogan worn by Clevelanders during the 1970s, a grim period marked by industrial decline, large-scale population flight and an urban environment so toxic the Cuyahoga River actually caught on fire. These days it still helps to be at least a little tough; a fiercely blue-collar ethos endures. But instead of abandoning the city, local entrepreneurs and bohemian dreamers alike are sinking roots; opening a wave of funky boutiques, offbeat art galleries and sophisticated restaurants; and injecting fresh life into previously rusted-out spaces. It’s a vibrant spirit best exemplified by Cleveland’s new all-female roller derby league, whose wry name, the Burning River Roller Girls, and home, a former GM auto factory retooled into a 60,000-square-foot sports facility, say it all.”

read more: 36 Hours – Cleveland – NYTimes.com

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/09/23/36-hours-in-cleveland/feed/ 1 Moving On http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/04/15/moving-on/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/04/15/moving-on/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:13:19 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/?p=645 MovingA number of things are coming to an end today, but the most significant at that we’re finishing moving out of our apartment in Woodland Hills, and that today is my last day at Mahalo.

Mahalo

I’m leaving Mahalo because we’re leaving L.A…not the other way around. It was a tough choice, but I believe it was the right one.  I’ve built a team I can be proud of at Mahalo, and I have every confidence that they’ll do great things in the future. The truth of the matter is that I cannot manage this excellent team from a distance. A Lead Developer needs to be on site, dealing with the day-to-day running of things.  I cannot do that if I’m moving, pure and simple. There’s no drama, no feud, nothing like that…everything is ending on good terms.

I’m going to miss the whole company, no doubt about it. These are good, hardworking people. They deserve to succeed. I cannot wait to see what they are going to do next.

Leaving Los Angeles

I’ve written a little bit about why we’re leaving L.A. in a previous post, but there’s more to it that just economics and schools. Los Angeles might as well be a different planet when you’re coming from the midwest.  There are many who have moved here and loved it, and I can see why they would. The difficulty for use was that we did it with a family.  If Cathy and I had moved out here when we re newly married, I think things might have gone differently.

Some friends here told us what they’d like most: to own a small house with a good sized yard in a good school system. They followed that up with, “but this is L.A.”  As time went by, I heard this from other people — they all wanted what we took for granted, what we gave up to move here. And many of them had given up on ever achieving it, because “this is L.A.”

We’re moving back to our families, our oldest friends, to neighborhoods that we love, schools we know we can trust, and places that we’ve loved for years. We took so much for granted…that won’t be happening again.

People will poke fun about leaving the Big City, but that’s fine with me. Cleveland is home, and always will be.

New Eyes

Some folks have asked me if this move is bittersweet. No…not really. I achieved what I wanted to achieve at Mahalo, and I learned what I needed to learn from L.A.  I’m coming away better for it. If I never left Cleveland, I would always wonder what would have happened if I had. It’s been costly, yes, but I feel I’ve gained far more than I’ve lost.

I’m looking forward to seeing home with new eyes. That alone will be amazing.

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]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/04/15/moving-on/feed/ 8 Homeward Bound http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/04/02/homeward-bound/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/04/02/homeward-bound/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:29:00 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/?p=617 how-far-away-is-ohioIt’s official…my family and I will be moving back to Cleveland. Our last day in L.A. will be 4/17, and after that, we’ll be driving back across country while the movers put our stuff into storage for a bit.

Why are we leaving?

We’ve found that L.A. is just not for us. L.A. seems like a great city if you’re single or a couple. There are a lot of things to do, if you’re into the night life scene. We’re not really, and with the kids, it’s hard to get out much.  The main reasons we’re leaving are:

  • The schools are atrocious. The worst schools I’ve ever had the misfortune to step inside. I’ve never seen a state so proud of something so completely abyssmal.
  • It’s too damn expensive. You cannot even USE the car insurance you pay ($260/mo for our cars), because if you are in a single fender bender, the cost will double.  It’s why there are so many beaten-up cars on the road. You’re basically throwing money away. And rent…don’t get me started about rent.
  • Crime / safety. The LAPD helicopters were over our apartment complex last week for the thrid time in as many months.
  • Too many goddamn people.
  • We miss proper seasons, a city we can nagivate without reams of maps, proper forests and parks (The Cleveland Metroparks are AMAZING, and should not be taken for granted), our friends and family.

Where will we be living?

We’re settling in with my inlaws in Shaker Heights until we find a place. We’ll likely be renting for a bit, but if we find the right house at the right price, we might buy. Where is yet unknown.  We’ll be working that out.

Will there be a party celebrating our return?

I have it on good authority that there will be.

Will you be going to Origins?

I’m going to try, yes.

May I follow along with your Grand Adventure?

I’ll be writing about the trip across county, much as I did when we moved out here. You’ll be able to follow along from the comfort of your own home.

(special thanks to robotskirts for the awesome “How far is Ohio?” graphic, originally from Superpoop.com)

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]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/04/02/homeward-bound/feed/ 22 Refresh Cleveland Gathering Recap http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/05/02/refresh-cleveland-gathering-recap/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/05/02/refresh-cleveland-gathering-recap/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 13:42:59 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/?p=264 5/365 post interview pint.
Creative Commons License photo credit: OctopusHat

I’m happy to say that the first Refresh Cleveland gathering was a success. We met up for dinner and beers at the Winking Lizard in Lakewood, and topics of conversation included:

  • We have a lot of talented folks in this town. Why are they not speaking to each other?
  • The Cleveland Web Standards Association is a Good Thing. Go. Attend. Support.
  • Cleveland Day of .NET and the Worthiness of Rails.
  • The pitfalls of freelancing.
  • General frustration with the tech-lag at agencies in town. Anyone just discovering that RSS is a Good Idea really needs to get out more.
  • Never let marketers drive design or development decisions.
  • Cleveland Web Association lunches we discussed. Snarky blog post to follow.
  • Oregon Trail
  • The keys to a good presentation.

I’d like to thank the following folks for coming out to share their experiences (and some fine, fine boneless wings):

We have some big plans coming up…a Barcamp over the summer (probably in cooperation with the CWSA), more gathers, and hosting some panel discussions. If you’d like to be in the loop, please subscribe to the Refresh Cleveland mailing list.

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/05/02/refresh-cleveland-gathering-recap/feed/ 0 Refresh Cleveland Gathering Tonight http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/05/01/refresh-cleveland-gathering-tonight/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/05/01/refresh-cleveland-gathering-tonight/#comments Thu, 01 May 2008 13:40:33 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/?p=259  

We’re having a little Refresh gathering tonight at the Winking Lizard in Lakewood at 7:30pm. There’s no set topic, other than tech in Cleveland and how we can improve it. Come join us!

Winking Lizard
14018 Detroit Ave.
Lakewood, OH 44107-4522
Phone: 216.226.6693

View on Upcoming.com.

 

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/05/01/refresh-cleveland-gathering-tonight/feed/ 0 Notacon 2008 http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/04/06/notacon-2008/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/04/06/notacon-2008/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:30:13 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/site/?p=235 Originally posted on RefreshCleveland

You have to learn why things work on a starship.

- James T. Kirk to Savik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

the fat man
Creative Commons License photo credit: ejhogbin

I attended Notacon 2008 this weekend. I’d like to tell you about it.



I learned a lot. See…I’m not much of a hacker. I’ve never played with Ham Radio for my own wifi, I’ve never attended a demoparty, and I know just enough about networking to get by. Notacon was an educational experience, one of the sort I don’t get often in day-to-day life. I don’t have much occasion to reflect on the necessity of editing information, but thank goodness Jason Scott does. I have not mulled over the current state of election technologies, but Smoke and Phreak had. Bruce Potter taught me more about the challenges of router monitoring than I’d learn in a year of working at my desk.





I attended Notacon the first year it ran and I felt like a stranger in a stranger land. I felt the same way this year. This is not the staff’s fault in any way, mind you. When I go to a developer convention, I know I’m going to have a lot in common with the folks there. This is a world where I’m a babe in the woods. Believe it or not, this is a very good thing. I have a lot to learn, and thankfully, the staff and speakers this year had a lot to teach.



This is not a “web development” conference, but web developers should attend it. Notacon will introduce you to new concepts and new ways of looking at problems. It will remind you of the complexity of the systems that you take for granted every day. It may even rekindle an interest, as it did with my friend Sean, who is unpacking his old sampling and mixing equipment as we speak.



Looking at the Notacon media archive, it seems like it gets more eclectic each year. Admittedly I’d love to see a web development track develop in the coming years. But even if one did not, I’d definitely go back, and I’d encourage friends to go with me. Too often there’s a wall between the folks who handle the nuts and bolts of servers/networking and those who upload their work to those servers/networks. Next year…instead of worrying about what “Web 3.0″ might hold, step back and dig into what Notacon is offering. You won’t be sorry.

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/04/06/notacon-2008/feed/ 2 Morning Snowstorm http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/08/morning-snowstorm/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/08/morning-snowstorm/#comments Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:42:13 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/site/2008/03/08/morning-snowstorm/ Pics of my front and back yard during this morning’s snowstorm:

  View from my Front Door
Backyard at 9am, 3/8

Note the snowdrift on TOP of the hedges in the second pic. Fun fun.

Back in a few. I need to snowblow my driveway.

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/08/morning-snowstorm/feed/ 1 Twitter Zombie Theatre http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/06/twitter-zombie-theatre/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/06/twitter-zombie-theatre/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:38:34 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/site/2008/03/06/twitter-zombie-theatre/ This is a little twitterfiction that I started last Sept. for fun. Cmar was awesome with the medical side of things. This was tweeted over the course of three hours. I apologize for the odd formatting: it’s twitter, after all.1 For the curious, I was at the Starbucks on W6th, staring out at the intersection of W6th and St. Clair.

Used under CC: Photo by re-Verse: http://www.flickr.com/photos/re_verse/55358971/sizes/s/

codeshaman: Watching a guy who doesn’t look too well shamble across the parking lot. Would think he was homeless except for the business suit.

codeshaman: Damn…the guys suit look like he was rolling a gutter or something.

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: there are a lot of well-dressed homeless people downtown atlanta

codeshaman: @sambearpoet Yeah, Sam…but this guy is kinda pale…and I think he is chasing a pigeon. It’s just weird.

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: wild

codeshaman: @sambearpoet Holy, shit…dude just bit a pedestrian. This cannot be good.

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: 911?

codeshaman: @sambearpoet Other peds are handling it, it looks like. Man who got bitten looks unhappy. No surprise there.

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: yeah, I would guess so!

Raeski: @Codeshaman. How did he get close enough to bite? Weird!

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman @sambearpoet Rabies is awesome, too.

codeshaman: @Raeski Hard to say…I think he was distracted by his Blackberry or something. Two guys are holding the homeless dude now.

codeshaman: Dude who got bit just walked into the Starbucks. Heading for the bathroom.

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: you’re the Edward R. Murrow of tweetdom ;)

Raeski: @Codeshaman. I bet the homeless guy is scottish. . .

codeshaman: @sambearpoet Sorry…it’s just not something you see every day.

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: no worries, it is kind of cool

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: it’s like “Police Blotter Live” or “News of the Weird”

Cmaaarrr: Just got a strange email from the CDC.

codeshaman: Cops have shown up. Taking homeless guy into the car. Homeless guy is not really resisting, Ambulence just flew by.

codeshaman: Bitten guy just walked out. Hand wrapped in paper towel…still bleeding, looks like. Ordering a coffee. barista looks disgusted.

Raeski: @Codeshaman. The rest of your day is going to be so dull in comparison to this soap opera.

codeshaman: @raeski Tell me

codeshaman: Traffic is starting to get snarled. Ambulance stopped at intersection. Paramedic is arguing with cop. 44 minutes ago from web

codeshaman: Guy who was bitten is standing outside, just holding his coffee. Staring at the traffic. Looks like he’s sweating. “Bandage” is soaked. 42 minutes ago from web

KJToo: @codeshaman When’s the next full moon? That guy is screwed. 38 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: @cmarrr How fast can rabies set in? This guy with the bite look awful. Pale and sweaty. 37 minutes ago from twitterrific

sambearpoet: @codeshaman: human bites are the worst 36 minutes ago from im in reply to codeshaman

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman Not that fast. But this CDC note describes a new Lyssavirus, related to rabies, reportedly very fast acting. Like, minutes. 34 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: @sambearpoet Looks that way. Bitten dude just dropped his coffee. Looks dazed. 34 minutes ago from twitterrific in reply to sambearpoet

PGHolyfield: probably buying one of two laptops tonight… $1,000 range. My inner geek still wants the $2,300 Dell… sigh 33 minutes ago from web

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman Wait. Sir, aren’t you IN Cleveland? What area? 33 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

sambearpoet: Robot warriors have arrived to take me to my orbiting throne-station. This may be my last transmission. 33 minutes ago from im

codeshaman: @cmaarrr What’s a Lyssavirus? — Bitten Dude just collapsed. One of the cops is coming over. Other is moving homeless guy to the ambulance. 32 minutes ago from web

codeshaman: @cmaarrr I’m down in the Warehouse district right now. W6th and St. Clair. Not far frm the Stadium. Why? 31 minutes ago from web

evo terra: @codeshaman Dude. You’ve seen Resi Evil & Dawn of the Dead. Get. The. Fuck. Out! 30 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

KJToo: @sambearpoet Nooooo! Dammit, that’s my throne! Those are my robots! 30 minutes ago from web in reply to sambearpoet

codeshaman: @evo_terra Heh. Funny guy. This is creepy enough to watch. 29 minutes ago from web in reply to evo_terra

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman Only that St. Vincent’s and Cleveland State’s med office were the reporting sites for the virus. Are they close? 29 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: @cmaarrr Not too far…East

evo_terra: @codeshaman I’m only parially kidding. Me thinks the good doctor is suggestion you abandon your current position. 25 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: Another ambulance just pulled up. Crowd is surrounding the guy the ground. Thinking

evo_terra: Cannot lose my lead developer to some zombie-rabies thing! Oh, or a good friend. 23 minutes ago from web

: codeshaman Uh oh. Second ambulance has people in those hazmat type suits getting out. More cops are showing up. Cannto see guy on the ground. 21 minutes ago from web

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman Uh… the cases were in that area. Started after altercation with a guy from the Glenn NASA center. Biting was involved… 20 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: @Cmaaarrr Oh great. Okay. Going to pack up in a sec. 19 minutes ago from twitterrific in reply to Cmaaarrr

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman CDC alert said dude working with retrieved satellite with biologic experiments from Ames, then went nuts. 17 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: Woman outside just fell and is screaming. Corwd is starting to run. passed out guy..he…oh shit. 16 minutes ago from twitterrific

RayS: “And Invisible Man sayz, i can has light, and teh light wuz.” http://tinyurl.com/2ygwwb 15 minutes ago from twitterrific

codeshaman: He just bit her ankle. 15 minutes ago from twitterrific

Cmaaarrr: @codeshaman I know this isn’t what Twitter is for, but I don’t have your # – you okay? I’d get moving. 15 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

Raeski: @Codeshaman. Can you club anyone to death with your laptop if need be? And oh yeah. . .RUN! 14 minutes ago from txt in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: Cops. cordoning off street. Need to get moving if I’m going to get out of here. Sorry. guys. Back later. 14 minutes ago from twitterrific

RayS: @codeshaman someone bar the door! 14 minutes ago from twitterrific in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: Thank you for joining us for Zombie Twitter theatre. Remember, kids, eat your BRRAAAIINNZZZZZ. 11 minutes ago from twitterrific

RayS: @codeshaman and I was just

Cmaaarrr: Hey – the CDC did bring you “nepth-charging”… 9 minutes ago from web

evo_terra: @codeshaman & @cmar are cocksuckers. Funny, talented guys, but cocksuckers none the less. 8 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

KJToo: @codeshaman Dammit, I wanted werewolves! 7 minutes ago from web in reply to codeshaman

codeshaman: @evo_terra *bows* Thank you, sir. 6 minutes ago from twitterrific in reply to evo_terra

strangerthings: Ooh, reminds me: look to an upcoming season of Stranger Things, I have an awesome zombie story that turns the whole genre on its head. 6 minutes ago from web

RayS: @codeshaman please save that somewhere… 2 minutes ago from twitterrific in reply to codeshaman

KJToo: I’m off to infect @codeshaman with the superplague. This may be my final transmission. 2 minutes ago from web

: strangerthings @cmar @codeshaman: Well played. This is like Reality TV. It’s Reality Tweeting less than a minute ago from web



  1. Note: I would have kept going, but when I reaized it was Sept. 11, I thought that I should probably cut it off.
]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/06/twitter-zombie-theatre/feed/ 2 Staring at the Sun http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/06/staring-at-the-sun/ http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/06/staring-at-the-sun/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:42:52 +0000 Chris Miller http://www.unquietdesperation.com/site/2008/03/06/staring-at-the-sun/ Attention, Clevelanders. The yellow ball of bright light in the sky is called the “Sun” and is a natural phenomenon. This is not the end of the world or a terrorist attack. You might notice that your skin will become slightly warmer where the “Sun Light” strikes it. Again, there is no cause for alarm…we are assured that this is perfectly normal. We recommend staying in your homes until after 9 am, because trying to drive with the distraction of the “Sun” in the sky is causing accidents on all the major highways surrounding the city. Thank you.

]]> http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2008/03/06/staring-at-the-sun/feed/ 3