Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

• Earworm I woke up with this morning: http://youtu.be/qfdnhnjlsAk (I miss Hee Haw!) #
• Today's earworm: Two Nice Girls (NSFW) http://youtu.be/nCCPAriHyCE #
• Strong smell of smoke outside. Hope the neighborhood's not on fire. #
• Hitler gets to Franklin's BBQ too late: http://youtu.be/qaZx6kGs7pg #
• Truth, Justice, and the American Way? Not anymore: http://aol.it/jFRfLf #
• That trainer kicked my booty. #
• There needs to be an "It Gets Better" campaign for parents of young children. #

• So plagued with bugs in Dragon Age: Awakening. Do I keep going back to get kicked in the head again? Why yes, yes I do. Reboot: 6x so far. #
• Find My iPhone is free – remotely find/lock/wipe/message your iPhone via me.com at no charge: http://bit.ly/i7iHkD #
• Watching the tiny maggots fall off the deer on #GameOfThrones last night, I declared, "Now, this is what HDTV was MADE for!" #
• Today's factoid: there's a name for the face your cat makes when he smells something funky. It's the Flehmen response. #themoreyouknow #
• Can you buy Portal 2 via the Xbox? #
• Happy San Jacinto Day! #
• How can two years simultaneously feel like it was an eternity and it was yesterday? I miss you, my friend. #DaveSzulborski #
• I'm different! Portal turret Easter egg: http://flic.kr/p/9AfApC #

• Word Cloud: How Toy Ad Vocabulary Reinforces Gender Stereotypes http://j.mp/i4DNAR #
• It's astounding to witness the utter lack of control that Jean Auel has over her characters anymore. #
• Are Yelpsters Foochebags? (Hint: Yes.) http://bit.ly/fQQl2m #
• CTW2 was a Petite Lap Giraffe – franchising is Little Woodrows? name a color I am no longer naked in. — http://thatcan.be/my/next/tweet #
• "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh-so-smart or oh-so-pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant." -Elwood P. Dowd's mom #
• iPhone corrected "banh mi" to "bang me." How interesting. #
• Oregon lawmakers Rickroll the state legislature: http://bit.ly/hIWbJn #
• "Wolf! WOLF! Find the plot! Go find the plot! FIND IT! FIND THE PLOT!" -ECFans.com #jeanauel #
• House of Leaves reference in last night's XKCD: http://xkcd.com/886/ #
• RIP All My Children and One Life to Live: http://bit.ly/hyuDLA *lip quiver* #
• Did-a-chick? Dad-a-chum? #
• My mom used to record All My Children on the Betamax every day so we could watch it when I came home from school. #allmychildren #
• So, like, Scott Adams is the Harlan Ellison of the cartoon world, only with considerably less charm? #

• So far have gotten email from Disney, Brookstone, and TiVo that their data provider was compromised. Musta been a big break-in. #
• I either drank a glass of Vietnamese iced coffee or rocket fuel. Is there really a difference? #
• You can't spell "Stupid" without "UTPD." #
• I think, at this point, companies who _don't_ use Epsilon should just email their customers saying so. I'd get less email that way. #
• Jennifer Garner is going to be playing Miss Marple. *head explodes* http://bit.ly/gbkAdD #
• The archives of David Foster Wallace – leading off with his praise for Blair Witch: http://bit.ly/fzxB6f @mikemonello #
• "That's because you're not in the kitchen enough to break things." #
• My dentist told me I only need to come in for yearly cleanings. So lucky to have excellent teefs. #
• Been calling the @AnytimeFitness by my house for MONTHS trying to get a live person or a callback. May give up & try another gym entirely. #
• 64 hours into my Dragon Age Origins replay, ALL my DLC items are gone because the game couldn't contact the @Bioware server! Going to cry!!! #
• You can't say "uterus"! Think of the children!! Waitaminute… http://bit.ly/eb3Stt #
• RT @imbri: RT @Malbonnington: Open your phone's browser, go to Google & search for Tilt. #98 � (thanks @dlogtnarg) #
• Dear Austin: If you're on the access road, you YIELD to people exiting the highway. Look it up. Transportation code Sec. 545.154. @statesman #
• Thank goodness! @dragonage support got back to me with the KB article; had to tweak a settings file – but am no longer naked in Denerim! #
• Left pondering that age-old question again: Do zombies poop? #

Been calling around to different gyms to get their rates, which can be a pain in the patoot, so I thought I’d share it here in case anyone else was looking:

Lifetime Fitness:
No contract
Single membership: $69.95/month; $79 “administrative fee” to join
Couple membership: $119.95/month; $105 administrative fee to join
Under 12 add-on: $6/mo
Family membership: $149/month
Personal training: $50-150/session
Note: This is where the awesome trainers David and Britney from the A&E show “Heavy” work.

24 Hour Fitness:
Initiation Fee: 136.34
Single membership: $29.99/month
Couple membership: $59.98/month
Personal training: 3 for $129; 10 for $649

Anytime Fitness on Bee Cave:
Contract
Initiation Fee: wouldn’t answer (“I never worry about that stuff!”)
Single membership: $39/month
Couple membership: $59/month
Personal training: $30-70/session
Note: I called this location for MONTHS and it wasn’t until I tweeted their corporate account with a complaint that I finally got a call back. Do not have high hopes for their customer service.

The Hills:
Contract
$25 per person “administrative fee” for enrollment
Single membership: $79/month
Couple membership: $134/month
Personal training: $45-75/hour

Gold’s Gym:
No initiation fee
Single membership: $15.99 biweekly WITH personal training (~31.98/mo), $17.99 biweekly WITHOUT personal training (~35.98/mo)
Additional members: $12.99 biweekly (~$57.96-61.96/mo)
Personal training: $55-75/hour

• Fan-made Fallout film: http://nukabreak.com #
• Who knew it would take so long to download 14.5 gigs? #
• Why was there a big spike in beta particles in San Antonio on March 2? http://1.usa.gov/h8irNw Houston: http://1.usa.gov/h6m67r #
• According to my daughter, I speak in code: "We'll see" means yes, and "Maybe" means no. #
• Tonight's Being Human: WOW! #
• 60 completely unusable stock photos: http://bzfd.it/hOtMXi (Samara having milk and a sandwich? Hitler in a gingham dress?) #
• You never listen to the in-flight safety speech, so why not not listen to Richard Simmons on Air New Zealand? http://youtu.be/3iaTEgoezNQ #
• How a differential gear works – Boing Boing http://t.co/gxanuwm #
• Got the final Earth's Children book. It might be schlock, but I've been waiting 30 years for it. Jean Auel, don't fail me, please. #
• Well YOU are a bug bite squared. #
• "If you rest your fist against the grinding wheel and then hit the switch, it hurts." Words of wisdom, my friends. #
• Pianos all over Austin: http://playmeaustin.com #
• Bald eagles are hatching today. Watch the webcam: http://bit.ly/fqvnR7 #
• You've checked out the People You May Know on LinkedIn, right? #
• I was watching this video and the next thing I knew I was driving down the highway with a car full of rabbit… (cont) http://deck.ly/~Sdm6q #
• April Fool's political satire: http://bit.ly/fz5Htm #
• I HAVE CLEAN HANDS #
• The sweetest picture you'll see of giraffes all day: http://bit.ly/hRJx4c #
• The second-sweetest picture you'll see of a giraffe today: http://bit.ly/dF0hJT MWAH! #

• For some reason, I think my hair smells like cilantro. This is not a good thing. #
• Two Dogs Dining: http://youtu.be/EVwlMVYqMu4 @labfly #
• Waiting rooms are so much funner when they contain wailing children and indifferent parents. #
• Haha, one of the techs just came up to the mom – "It's a really beautiful day outside. Wouldn't you all like some fresh air?" "No." *sigh* #
• Do not play this game if you value your free time and/or sanity: http://bit.ly/eh1vDe Zen Loops #
• My opinion? I think there's a dance in the old "Transmedia" dame yet, if we pull her strings JUST so. Starting fresh might be easier though. #
• RT @workbook Transmedia Talk at SXSW 2011 – Roundtable Discussion on Pervasive Entertainment http://bit.ly/hTOQZs #
• So disappointed in The Swan Thieves. After being enamored with The Historian, I expected far more out of Kostova. Sophomore slump? #
• I had that Bloody Mary! @jaybushman RT @stitchmedia: Poignant and Pathetic – 11 Very Short Stories from #SXSW http://bit.ly/hpRRDO #
• Luck is me! I’m #60444 on the waiting list for a Petite Lap Giraffe – http://www.PetiteLapGiraffe.com/ #
• Freelance writer rate chart. Interesting. Is this accurate? http://bit.ly/elY5Lj #freelance #
• I really wanted to love Dragon Age II but alas, I did not. But it did make me want to play DA:O again, so there's that. #

• At the Hoax or Transmedia panel room, looking forward to the panel. #SXSW #
• The devil on my shoulder just told me to stage a trailhead during this panel. #
• Props to PF Changs: Sat our table of 8 immediately, food came out right away, good service and gave separate checks without asking. #
• In Ballroom A, waiting for Moot to start. #sxsw #
• Is Moot gonna hurl? #sxsw #
• Search.twitter.com does not work from the #SXSW wifi. Isn't that special? #
• Headed to Companion Gaming panel. #SXSW #
• RT @tcconway: Tap what? http://ow.ly/i/97EH #SxSW #
• "This place is more and more circus-like by the moment." *Batman walks by.* "…Yep." #sxsw #
• At Transmedia Artists Guild panel. #SXSW #
• The Transmedia Artists Guild website is open – http://bit.ly/i7YHA1 #sxsw #
• RT @fergusjackson: If I see the word 'transmedia' in one more effing tweet I'm going to bomb Austin #SXSW #
• Driskill loud and stuffed. Alt ideas? #
• Heading to Bar 96. #SXSW #
• Really stoked about the Dexter panel in a few! (Even though it's in BFE – WTF, #SXSW ) #
• Met the ballerina from the Dexter ARG gnome scene – the designers set up the crime scenes in their own apartments. #dexterarg #
• Showtime's Guerra is an ex-D&D player and liked how it was a participatory storytelling experience #dexterarg #
• Big shoutout to Angelnorelation! 🙂 #dexterarg #
• The Invinity symbol in the first Dexter episode was deliberate, but you knew that already, right? #dexterarg #
• You can't be participatory if you don't listen to your audience. #dexterarg #
• There is a whole lot of brown-nosing the client in this panel. Either they REALLY like him, or they REALLY want to do the next season. #
• Sunday night at 9pm shouldn't be the main hub of Dexter – it should just be part of Dexter's story. #dexterarg #
• Showtime shoutout to Fourth Wall! #dexterarg #
• People really need to stop thinking about Unfiction as something they need to design for. #dexterarg #
• An overhead picture of the assembled maze with the game designers lying in it. #dexterarg #
• Sitting on the floor eating a stupidly expensive grilled cheese. My pickle is not cold. #
• Where are peeps watching the keynote? #
• In Ballroom A waiting for the keynote. #
• "Your campaign is not a booty call; it's a long term relationship." -Felicia Day #sxsw #
• Trade show put all the SEO and banner ad companies in Siberia. #SXSW #
• Chance meeting with @cc_chapman at the Trade Show. 🙂 #
• A chance meeting with cc_chapman at the trade show. #sxsw #
• At "Having Fun Yet? 10 Usability Heuristics For Games" in Ballroom C. No idea where the gang is today. #sxsw #
• This game designer is not a fan of the term "gamification," which got a hearty chuckle from the audience. #sxsw #
• On the trade show floor I saw a bunch of droids selling little human Mimobots. #SXStarWars #
• Some interesting parallels between game UI design and transmedia design… #sxsw #
• Provide immersive cues to the player about their status – the more ambiguity the player has, the less immersive their world is. #sxsw #
• Distinguish active from inactive – provide cues so that players know what they can/need to touch. #sxsw #
• If the player DOES fail during a task, make sure they understand why. #sxsw #
• Be game-state aware – give correct data to players at correct time, & let them dig deeper to areas that they want to find out about #sxsw #
• Reading is easier than remembering – make objectives clear and memorable, don’t overburden w/information #sxsw #
• Remember real life – provide quick and easy exits; consider environment your game is played in. #sxsw #
• Maintain flow – minimize content breaks and cognitive dissonance. Does it all feel like one system? #sxsw #
• Ask “What could I take away?” – don’t include information that’s irrelevant and don’t let bells and whistles overwhelm your project #sxsw #
• The "Having Fun Yet?" panel was what #SXSW is all about. #
• In Ballroom A, waiting for the New Worlds: Creating Online Sci-fi and Fantasy Experiences panel #sxsw #
• Missed the 1st rule from the panel earlier: Inc. interaction speed over time – if yr doing same thing over & over, it shd get quicker #sxsw #
• Upcoming panel has Craig Engler from Syfy and Felicia Day. Should be great! #
• Don't just have a strategy that stops the day you launch – have a day 2 plan – Engler #sxsw #
• You've created a bond with your audience – don't abandon them – Felicia Day #sxsw #
• Someone dropped the TRANSMEDIA bomb at the panel. #sxsw #
• Felicia Day: hates the term "Transmedia." Would rather say it's an opportunity to reinvent storytelling. (amen) #sxsw #
• But it is the Buzz Word du Jour! RT @andrhia: THANK YOU on the straight talk, @feliciaday – franchising is not #transmedia #sxnewworlds #
• Pasta party time! #
• What the #pastaparty has come to: http://yfrog.com/h79jcsnj #
• Off to the iron cactus. #
• Rolling into home. #
• Heading to Frank. #
• Never thought I'd be in a biker bar that played Elton John. #
• Hitler responds to SXSW 2011: http://bzfd.it/h7hxlf #
• SXSW: What ARG Makers Can Learn from UI Designers http://bit.ly/iaBIJj #transmedia #antitransmedia #
• I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. #
• What can I get for an 11 year old girl on the free market these days? #
• Paul Reubens turns 60 next year. Dig on that for a while. #