disjoint thoughts

what is a Reverse Bel-Air?

Ben — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:37:55 +0000

I love xkcd. This geeky comic almost never fails to bring a smile to my face. But every now and then the comic is so abstract and cryptic that I have no clue what they’re talking about. This strip in particular had me scratching my head until i found this post by Jenner on the xkcd forums:

Examples of Bel-air vs Reverse Bel-air is as so:

Bel-air:
I ate some pretty bad food at this really dingy diner last night and I think I may have gotten food poisoning. I’ve been up all night with a stomach ache and lets say nothing about what’s been going on below that. I just don’t understand /b/, what should I do? I mean, it wasn’t like I ate that much of it. I just got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said you’re moving in with your auntie and uncle in Bel-air.

Reverse Bel-air:
Now this is a story all about how my life got flip-turned upside down and I’d like to take a minute just sit right there I’ll tell you how I got arrested for soliciting a minor while just waiting for my nephew to get out of elementary school with my stereo blaring. It’s tragic really, serve and protect my butt.

As you can see, the Bel-air melds the song into the end of the conversation, and you suddenly realize they’re singing Fresh Prince. Whereas the reverse starts with Fresh Prince and then merges in the relevant conversation.

queen creek mining

Ben — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:44:37 +0000

A couple of months ago Erin and I put together a couple of videos on the topic of the mining in Queen Creek for the Queen Creek Coalition. Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

helmet hair?

Ben — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:00:44 +0000

This would be what my mop looks like after two days sweating beneath a climbing helmet.

Here’s the rest of the pics from my weekend in Tahquitz.

how to get someone to stop parking in your parking spot

Ben — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:00:35 +0000

Let’s say you have an awesome parking spot. Maybe not as cool as the parking spots we have at OpenRain, but a good one nonetheless.

What do you do if someone else jacks your spot? Leave them a nice, passive aggressive, note for them:

Worked for me!

i know it was a good weekend when…

Ben — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:40:39 +0000

…my car is covered in mud.

Check out the rest of the pics from my trip to Paradise Forks a couple weekends ago.

flushing dns cache in os x

Ben — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:09:58 +0000

I always forget this command, so I’m blogging it to save me the hassle of googling for it:


dscacheutil -flushcache

wii sports: the ab workout

Ben — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:00:40 +0000

Are you wanting to develop rock hard abs? Is the lack of a six pack impeding on your ability to attract members of the opposite sex? Is most exercise you get on a daily bases coming from your Wii? If you’ve answered “YES!” to any of these questions, the Wii Sports Ab Workout might be your road to success.

Follow these easy steps to get started with the Wii Sports Ab Workout:

Step #1: Load up Wii Sports and start a round of boxing.
Step #2: Hold the Wiimote with the toes on your right foot (If you cannot hold the Wiimote between your toes, you may consider attaching them to your feet, or a pair of sandals, using medical tape).
Step #3: Hold the Nunchuck with the toes on your left foot.
Step #4: Lay on the floor.
Step #5: BOX!

Note: you cannot use your arms/elbows to prop yourself up! It will require the use of your abs if you want to watch the screen.

For an extra bonus, play with a friend! The shear hilarity of the experience will make surely make you laugh until tears roll down your cheeks and thus increase the burn to your abdomen even further!

i’m covered in bees!

Ben — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:47:43 +0000

Savoeun and I went climbing out at Sven Slab on Sunday and had a little unexpected adventure. The first route we hopped on was a lovely crack called One for the Road. I was half way up the first pitch, and thoroughly enjoying myself, when I started to get attacked by bees. I soon realized that the ledge at the top of the first was the home for a hive of killer bees. Bummer. Sav and I managed to retrieve all our gear, but I ended up getting stung in the face three times! So what’s it like getting stung in the face by killer bees?

It sucks. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s pretty uncomfortable. It’s a little comical too. I can’t smile or laugh and keep my eyes open at the same time!

red rocks: community pillar

Ben — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:48:49 +0000

The past two weekend I’ve spent climbing in Red Rocks, Nevada. In these four short days I’ve climbed some of the most amazing, long, and fun routes of my climbing career. Of particular note is a route called Community Pillar. Now this climb might not be your typical “classic” route, but it was HILARIOUS. The amount of squeezing through improbable holes and up tight chimneys you do is mind blowing. And watching people attempt to go through holes they are fairly certain will get them stuck is entertainment like nothing else. Here’s a video I made for my climbing partner Erin who couldn’t join me because she’s in Nova Scotia:

You can check out the photos I took from both weekends here, and here.

funny trad climbing shirt

Ben — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:27:31 +0000

Here’s my latest climbing shirt creation. A little flavor or trad with some sexual innuendo…

front:

…and the back:

You can get your own via cafepress here.