Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods It Happened to Me

All my sins remembered: Playing accordion at SxSW 2008

Joey deVilla plays accordion onstage in front of a panel at South by Southwest Interactive 2008 while Rannie Turingan looks on. You can see Tim Ferriss' name card (but not Tim himself).
Still one of the best photos of me playing. Tap the photo at full size.

I’ve had many great first weeks on the job, but this first week on the job had a particularly unfair advantage: I was working at b5media, and the timing was such that my first week on the job was the same week the company went to the South by Southwest Interactive Festival 2008 — that’s the one where Airbnb launched and got only two bookings.

I arrived on Day 1 of the festival and was going to spend a long time in the registration line, when some friends — Min Jung Kim and Rannie Turingan — who were on the “How to Kick Ass at Your First SxSW” panel heard I’d arrived. They somehow used their panel host powers to fast-track me through registration, bring me up to their panel (which was full of big names), and then play accordion for the audience.

That’s what the photo above shows. The best part? I’m literally upstaging Tim Ferriss.

Categories
Florida Internet Finds Stranger than Fiction

Meanwhile, in Florida…

Tap the photo to see the Florida-ness at full size.
Categories
The Current Situation

I will do anything for my country…but I won’t do THAT

Big, grandiose, hypothetical gestures? Oh yeah.

Small, practical, proven measures? HELL NAW!

(And will someone make those “PEE PEE POO POO” caps, please?)

Update: Someone makes “PEE PEE POO POO” caps!

Yours for the not-so-low price of $32.35 at TopTenLine, an Etsy store.

 

 

 

Categories
Internet Finds

The truth about “If I had more time, I’d get more work done”

Comic by “Mr. Lovenstein.“
Categories
The More You Know...

Burned on the 4th of July (or: Your annual reminder about fireworks safety)

With most fireworks displayed canceled due to the pandemic, there will be more than the usual number of people lighting their own fireworks. If this is your plan, this safety announcement is for you!

Hand sanitizer and fireworks don’t mix

The pandemic complicates everything, including fireworks. In this case, it’s because COVID-19 means that we’re using more hand sanitizer than ever.

Hand sanitizer is at least 60% alcohol, which catches fire rather easily. Make sure your hands are dry before lighting fireworks, sparklers, and matches or lighters.

Alcohol (as in booze, not rubbing alcohol) and fireworks also don’t mix well

Do I even have to point this out?

Follow these safety guidelines

Here are some guides on using fireworks safely:

If you’re going to be dumb with fireworks, at least record a decent video so that I’ll have funny compilations to watch

Here are some moments showing fireworks gone wrong…

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Uncategorized

Florida Woman and Florida Man wish you a safe and happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July from Florida!

(But c’mon, dude — be a gent and take the backpack.)

Thanks to David Janes for the find!

Categories
Karens The Current Situation

The only phrase more frightening than “I would like to speak to your manager”

Patricia McCloskley pointing her pistol, with the caption “Look at me -- I’m the manager now”.